Drones for Sea Rescue: Lab and Field Experiments on Camera Gimbal Control

Sammanfattning: The objective of this thesis has been to improve the camera controls of a fixed-wing drone to be used in maritime search-and-rescue operations by the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS). A gimbal control interface (GCI) has been implemented that displays the video feed of the drone camera while taking control inputs from a joystick that moves its view in real-time. In the thesis, the GCI has been used to conduct two experiments. The first was in a lab setting using a Quality of Experience framework, where the effects of latency on a camera operator given a specific task were studied. The results from this experiment show that higher latency worsens both the operator's ability to perform the task as well as their subjective experience with the system. Comparing the rates at which they worsen, the data suggests that task performance decreases exponentially while the subjective experience decreases linearly, although more trials are required to establish their exact relationships. In the second experiment, the GCI was integrated with the pre-existing systems of the SSRS and used in a test flight over the Gothenburg archipelago. During the flight, joystick control was deemed most suitable when flying in a straight line, either for surveying or following a moving object. In conclusion, a versatile test bed allowing for manual control of a drone-mounted camera-gimbal was developed. For the SSRS, the GCI will serve as a starting point for controlling the drone's camera. Additionally, the GCI and the test bed developed in the thesis could be used in further research to better understand the relationship between different network parameters and an operator's quality of experience.