Human interaction with assistive free-flyers

Small aerial robots represent a novel platform that appears uniquely suited to assist humans in exploratory, surveillance, inspection, and telepresence tasks across a variety of domains. Such tasks will require "assistive free-flyers" (AFFs) to effectively interact and collaborate with humans in close proximity. For AFFs to successfully work and collaborate with colocated humans, designers must account for human perceptions of AFFs acting within human environments. Humans, who do not generally interact with free-flying physical embodiments, may not feel safe or may have trouble working near AFFs given their functional morphology and unconstrained, three-dimensional flight capabilities. The goal of my dissertation is to investigate the design space of proximal AFF interactions, specifically by examining how AFFs might effectively communicate with colocated humans as well as gain an understanding regarding the ecological fit of AFFs within human workspaces. This research takes a two-phase approach towards examining proximal AFF interactions: (1) examining AFF communication mechanisms including motion, body language, and electronic signals, and (2) developing an understanding of user mental models and social expectations for flying robots, including an examination of spontaneous AFF interactions. My work will inform the design of future AFF systems and aid in understandings regarding how AFFs can reach their potential as collaborators within human environments.