Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Graduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Juksana Mai Ngam, Graduate Student Shivani Patel, PhD Diego Espino, Graduate Barb Chaparro, Ph.D., Professor Alex Chaparro, Ph.D., Professor
Lead Presenter's Name
Juksana Mai Ngam
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Barbara Chaparro
Abstract
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are a new mode of transportation that introduces unique aircraft movements not found in traditional airplanes or helicopters. Understanding how individuals naturally perceive and control these novel movements can guide the design of intuitive eVTOL inceptors and potentially reduce pilot training time. This study examines how individuals with varying flight experience conceptualize and execute aircraft movements. Sixty participants were divided into four groups: 30 novices with no flight experience, 10 flight simulation gamers, 10 fixed-wing pilots, and 10 rotor-wing pilots. Participants watched 18 aircraft movement videos (e.g. acceleration, roll, yaw, heave) in a counterbalanced order. Each video was viewed twice, first for comprehension and then for participants to mimic the aircraft’s movements using natural gestures with any body part (e.g., hands, feet, or both). No verbal responses were required in this phase. In the second phase, participants repeated the process but explained their gestures and imagined control inputs after each movement. Thus, for each participant two gesture movements were recorded for each of the 18 aircraft movements. All participants were recorded from front and side angles, with the videos edited and categorized by movement type. An open card sorting method was used for analysis, with two independent raters ensuring reliability. Sorting and grouping of gesture movements were based on body part and directional movement. The findings will provide insights into intuitive eVTOL control representations across experience levels.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Instinctive Flight: Decoding Human Gestures for eVTOL Control
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are a new mode of transportation that introduces unique aircraft movements not found in traditional airplanes or helicopters. Understanding how individuals naturally perceive and control these novel movements can guide the design of intuitive eVTOL inceptors and potentially reduce pilot training time. This study examines how individuals with varying flight experience conceptualize and execute aircraft movements. Sixty participants were divided into four groups: 30 novices with no flight experience, 10 flight simulation gamers, 10 fixed-wing pilots, and 10 rotor-wing pilots. Participants watched 18 aircraft movement videos (e.g. acceleration, roll, yaw, heave) in a counterbalanced order. Each video was viewed twice, first for comprehension and then for participants to mimic the aircraft’s movements using natural gestures with any body part (e.g., hands, feet, or both). No verbal responses were required in this phase. In the second phase, participants repeated the process but explained their gestures and imagined control inputs after each movement. Thus, for each participant two gesture movements were recorded for each of the 18 aircraft movements. All participants were recorded from front and side angles, with the videos edited and categorized by movement type. An open card sorting method was used for analysis, with two independent raters ensuring reliability. Sorting and grouping of gesture movements were based on body part and directional movement. The findings will provide insights into intuitive eVTOL control representations across experience levels.