Virtual reality for the evaluation of drone swarm control systems and user interfaces

Virtual reality (VR) technology provides the ability to prototype drone swarm control systems without the need for costly equipment, as consumer VR headsets are becoming cheaper and better performing, and without the need for aviation authority approval. This paper demonstrates that the technology can allow user-centered design and rapid prototyping of user interfaces, and control behaviours. VR is not without its challenges, users often report discomfort when using VR headsets such as motion sickness or eye strain, and struggle with VR skills, such as interacting with objects with the controllers. This paper explores the viability of VR for the evaluation of drone swarm control systems and user interfaces. A study was conducted in which users were asked to control a drone swarm in a virtual search and rescue operation. The system setup, user interfaces, drone swarm behaviours, and study procedure are presented. Results for the participant’s situational awareness and performance metrics, alongside system usability, simulator sickness and qualitative feedback are discussed. Situational awareness is measured using the situation awareness rating technique (SART). System usability is measured using the system usability scale (SUS) for both the VR system and drone control systems. Discomfort from using the VR system is measured using the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ). The use of VR for user-centered design and rapid prototyping of user interfaces and drone swarm control systems is discussed.