Does Working in Proximity to Drones Affect Workers’ Postural Balance? A Mixed-Reality Study

Drones are increasingly used on construction sites. However, close-proximity drone operations may produce visual and auditory disturbances that compromise workers’ postural balance and increase the risk of falls, trips, and slips, especially in hazardous work environments such as sloped roofs. Despite these concerns, empirical evidence on this issue remains limited. To address this gap, this study conducted a mixed-reality roofing experiment, in which a virtual drone approached and hovered at a distance of 0.45 m. Thirty-one participants were required to install shingles under both no-drone and near-drone conditions. Wearable insole sensors collected plantar pressure and center-of-pressure data. Five balance-related metrics were calculated and compared between conditions. Results showed that near-drone presence increased mean COP velocity for both feet and right-foot M/L COP displacement. These findings provide preliminary evidence that close-proximity drone operations may increase workers’ postural control demands, highlighting the need for future research on human-centered deployment strategies in construction.