
Forget joysticks, use your torso to pilot drones - smb111
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180716151521.htm
======
iamdave
_Overall, the scientists compared their torso strategies to joystick control
in 39 individuals. They found that torso drone control outperformed joystick
control in precision, reliability and with minimal training sessions._

Until you sneeze, and double over to cover your mouth and send your aircraft
plummeting to the ground :P

(Also, we're still calling all unmanned, but ultimately human controlled
aircraft 'drones'? This is never going away, is it?)

~~~
dragonwriter
> Also, we're still calling all unmanned, but ultimately human controlled
> aircraft 'drones'? This is never going away, is it?

No, it was the usage for which the application of the term to vehicles was
adopted in the early 20th century, it's been that way for nearly a full
century, and it's not changing.

What's your problem with it?

~~~
iamdave
That referring to an aircraft controlled by a human a 'drone' isn't accurate.

------
jdietrich
Note that this research was conducted on people with no prior experience of
flying drones. An intuitive interface is not necessarily the best interface
for skilled users. Do we really want to reduce the (already very low) barrier
to entry to flying a drone?

~~~
iamdave
Not necessarily against lowering the barrier to flying quadcopters for
recreational use (commercial use different story-and I say that as someone who
took and passed the FAA Part 107 test).

I'm chiefly curious how/if this system allows operators to adjust or control
things like trim-for example and what that mechanism looks like using one's
torso as an input source.

Furthermore with a joystick, the resistance of the sticks counts as it's own
input mechanism; less about fine-tuned control for its own sake but more about
that fine tuned control as an input mechanism of its own.

I think that speaks to your statement here:

 _An intuitive interface is not necessarily the best interface for skilled
users._

Absolutely.

That being said, being able to control yaw by turning one's head-similar to
how the AAIH works for AH-64 pilots _is_ something I would welcome-or at least
play around with. The rest--possibly, but with reservation.

------
mynegation
I wish that was available in the 90s when I was still playing video games.
Fell off the chair several times playing Descent.

~~~
jandrese
Descent was a game where you could be in any orientation at any time... I'm
not sure I'd want to have to stand in my head and face backwards to get into a
monster closet...

This seems much more suited for something like a drone that needs to be more
or less level with the ground most of the time.

------
AstralStorm
What silliness is this? The tracking system is bound to make mistakes when
absolute precision is required. If you really want kinetic control, use the
position and distension sensors like in VR gloves. That could perhaps be as
accurate as a joystick. They are partly using that but add irrelevant cameras.

The research is also cheating, torso control uses a VR headset while joystick
does not, and responds to head turning while joystick system doesn't. The
headgear view is well researched to be important as shown half a century ago
in fighter jets.

~~~
louismerlin
I think you overestimate the accuracy of joystick control for beginners. This
looks promising !

