The Role of Drone Appearance and Capability in Human Trust: A Comparative vs. Isolated Analysis

Advancements in autonomy, navigation, and sensor systems have led to the increased deployment of drones in high-risk applications, such as mapping operations. While drones can mitigate the dangers associated with these missions, human trust in drones is essential for their effective use. This study explores the influence of key factors, including drone appearance, capabilities, protective cage, and noise on human trust. We implemented two different methodologies: (1) an isolated approach, in which the effects of each drone's appearance and capabilities were studied independently, and (2) a comparative approach, where participants evaluated two drones with different appearances and capabilities in direct comparison. The experiment results indicate that while drone appearance influences human trust, drone capabilities have a significantly greater impact. Additionally, comparing the two methodologies revealed that the comparative approach directs participants' attention more effectively to the studied factors. One of the primary contributions of this work is the introduction of a tested and effective method to investigate the effects of different factors on trust between humans and drones. Our findings can help robot designers develop drones suited for diverse scenarios by identifying the features most valued by human operators.