Autonomous
Passenger Drones
UX RESEARCH | UX DESIGN
Ongoing Research Fellowship Project under TiHAN, NMICPS Technology Innovation Hub for Autonomous Navigation.
Type: Individual Project Guided by: Prof. Deepak John Mathew, HOD, DOD IIT Hyderabad
Drones, which are considered one of the key innovations of the past decade have been made possible due to convergence of multiple key technologies such as advancement in materials, miniaturisation of electronics (cameras, circuits), batteries, sensors, compute, communication protocols and artificial intelligence. There is an acceptance that drones will play a key role in industries such as security and surveillance, logistics, defence, aerial mapping and photography, disaster relief, wildlife monitoring, weather forecast and precision agriculture among others.
DRONES FOR MOBILITY
In recent years, our surface transportation infrastructure is suffering from overuse, extreme traffic congestion, and roadway disrepair. Traditional infrastructure expansion policies is not the only solution to the aforementioned issues. Solutions include the gradual transition toward a number of emerging transportation technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) and “drone” technologies for surveillance, and package deliveries. However, as a long-term solution, transportation scientists are also investigating the once-seemingly futuristic notion of flying car technology—a form of land-to-air vehicle transportation- a passenger drone perhaps.
The prosperity of megacities heavily depends on smooth transport systems. In India, however, most cities are failing to keep in step with the growing demands. With new technologies, such as passenger drones, an alternate mode of intra-city transportation seems within reach.
OBJECTIVE
The project requirement under TiHAN, NMICPS Technology Innovation Hub for Autonomous Navigation specifies area of work on Personal Aerials Vehicles (PAVs)
The project is to be done in 2 phases, Phase 1 comprising of literature review, User study and coming up with an ideal User Interface for a PAV in line with the structural design simultaneously worked on by a colleague. Phase 2 would cover the structural and interior experience of the PAV and define system design for use of PAVs in Smart cities of the future.
1.LITERATURE REVIEW
2.PRIMARY RESEARCH
3.USER
EXPERIENCE
PHASE I
Passenger Drones
Trends in autonomy
Study of UI in Transportation
Aerial mobility specific UI
Understanding Users
Survey and Inferences
Mapping the Journey
Storyboarding
Parameters for designing UX
Conceptual UI Use Case
6.DRONES FOR SMART CITIES
5.SERVICE DESIGN
4.INTERIOR SPACE
PHASE II
Development of prototype to demonstrate the User experience in PAVs for smart cities
PAVs for smart cities
Parameters for intra-city flight
Stakeholder Map
EcoSystem Map
System Map
Trend Study
Material Study
Concept Development
Prototype
DEVELOPMENT OF PASSENGER DRONES
A timeline was mapped out based on the secondary research data
AUTONOMY
The development of autonomous driving technology is focusing on commercialization and production along with technology R&D, and the pace of development is accelerating.
Levels of autonomy
LEVEL 0
NO AUTOMATION
Driver performs all tasks
LEVEL 1
DRIVER ASSITANCE
Vehicle controlled by the driver but some assist features included in the vehicle design
LEVEL 2
PARTIAL AUTOMATION
Vehicle has combined automated functions like acceleration and steering but the driver must remain engaged with the driving task and monitor the environment at all times.
LEVEL 3
CONDITIONAL AUTOMATION
Driver is not required to monitor the environment. Driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at all times.
LEVEL 4
HIGH
AUTOMATION
The Vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under certain conditions. The driver may have the option to control the vehicle.
LEVEL 5
FULL
AUTOMATION
The Vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under all conditions. The driver may have the option to control the vehicle.
OBSERVED TRENDS
Changes in consumer behaviour in the car market, developments in urban communities and economy was mapped against autonomous technology progress. These are some deduced scenarios based on how consumers are going to change the way they move in the future
HUMAN MOVEMENTS ARE SHORTER
The urban daily commute may be long in time but is short in distance. By 2030 it is predicted that 80% of the Global population will live in an urban area (many in megacities). With shorter travel distances and greater human density, the risk and frequency of collisions will greatly increase.
FEWER YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LEARNING TO DRIVE
This means future generations of people will be reliant on shared public modes of transport which will in turn need to cater for huge rises in numbers using their network. Automation is fundamental to ensuring scale up is possible.
PARKING SPACES
As population becomes denser, there will be less room to park one's own vehicle. But what if a vehicle just dropped you off at home, and then travelled autonomously to a nearby car park for overnight storage
UNPREDICTABLE URBAN ECOSYSTEM AND CONGESTION
Urban is one of the hardest environments to predict due to not having control over pedestrian decision-making. Automation companies will have to develop systems to accurately detect, classify and respond to the harsh urban ecosystem. Will this encourage urban planners to design future cities where pedestrians, electric scooters and public transport don’t share the same spaces?
IMMINENT PASSENGER DRONES
Interiors and Interface
TRENDS IN MOBILITY
UNDERSTANDING USERS
Reference: Users' survey for development of Passenger drones, P.Rautray, DJ Mathew. B.Eisenbart
The data is based on a users survey conducted to gain insights from prospective users of passenger drones in India. The survey is generative research, where users’ needs, wants and concerns inform the design team in the early phase of the design process.The survey was exploratory, so there were no limitations as to who can participate in the study. The questionnaire was divided into three parts, as shown below. Each segment gave unique ideas into a better understanding of the users’ aspirations.
DEMOGRAPHIC
Age, Gender, Location, Occupation and current travel behaviour
QUANTITATIVE DATA
Current problems in transport system
Users' perception on passenger drones
Users' Needs, Wants,
Concerns
Preference of design elements
QUALITATIVE DATA
Positive attributes
Negative
attributes
The survey was piloted with a limited users group as it is different from other product user surveys in the way that the users have not used the specific product in question, i.e. the passenger drones, yet. However, a lot can be inferred from their expectations, needs, concerns, from their feedback and the data can be interpolated to give new insights.
The focus was on metro cities, and tier two cities where traffic has become a considerable problem and people are looking for an alternative transportation solution.
SURVEY DATA
72% of participants were below 35 years which suits the profile of the target users’ group as it may take at least 5 to 10 years before passenger drones may become a reality. More 70% of them travel between 6 km to 50 km for work and spend around 1 to 2 hours in daily travel. The bar graph also shows that about 20% of the participants travel more than 2 hours out of which 5% spend more than 3 hours to commute as shown in (Figure 2). Thus, a considerable amount of time is spent in commuting and is a significant source of stress for urbanites in India.
In term of occupation, more than 60% are service holders where daily commuting is a part of their life. Thus their feedbacks give a more precise needs of the daily commuters. There is a high dependency on the private and ODM (which is around 67%) when it comes to intra-city transportation, and about 57% of participants would prefer to travel with co-passenger than alone in a passenger drones. Most participants (41%) were comfortable to fly for 16 to 30 minutes, where 20% were okay to fly for 31 to 60 minutes, and a similar percentage of participants wanted their flight to be less than 15 minutes. Now coming to the sensitivity of the participants towards ecology and environment, more than 40% would choose eco-friendly transport option even if the cost of travel is higher than fuel-based transport, while 29% preferred stayed with fuel-based transport.
INFERENCES FROM SURVEY
Reference: Users' survey for development of Passenger drones, P.Rautray, DJ Mathew, B.Eisenbart
Positive attributes
Major Concerns
OBSERVATIONS AND DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS
Reference: Users' survey for development of Passenger drones, P.Rautray, DJ Mathew. B.Eisenbart
DUMMY The survey was piloted with a limited users group as it is different from other product user surveys in the way that the users have not used the specific product in question, i.e. the passenger drones, yet. However, a lot can be inferred from their expectations, needs, concerns, from their feedback and the data can be interpolated to give new insights.
USER JOURNEY
Departure to Arrival
In order to achieve a much more Human centred design, user fears, emotions and delight were observed on a much more micro level during the whole journey in a passenger drone.
Rolestorming method was used here, where the participants engage in brainstorming whilst role playing the actual users.
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User Journey in a PAV
FINDINGS
FROM USER JOURNEY
What information does a User want to know about and see during this Journey
1.WALKING TOWARDS
THE VEHICLE
2.ENTERING
THE VEHICLE
3.SITTING
IN THE VEHICLE
4.STARTING
THE VEHICLE
DEPART FROM HOME
Wants presence Acknowledge
To set lighting and mode before entering
Check battery status
Personalised Greeting
Door opens on presence
Door unlock using fingerprint?
Audio feedback
Is the door locked
Connect to my phone or laptop
Seat adjustment settings
Options to set modes for cabin
Time, weather Updates
Seatbelt and Safety check
Fragrance, Lighting adjustments
Enter Destination Location
Estimated time to destination
Locate control Panel
Exit+Safety controls visible
Verify Battery status
Verify condition of the PAV
5.TAKING OFF
6.WHILE IN-AIR
7.PREPARING TO ARRIVE
Seatbelt + Safety checks
Re-confirm destination
Showcase Path + Navigation
Indication that all under control
Time till altitude for linear flying
City View - Day/Night
Visible Navigation
Visible Time to Arrive
Distance covered
Altitude Calm Indicators
Use the mode: relax, work, etc
Visible Exit+safety controls
Emergency Landing
Seat adjustments for landing
Altitude Calm indications
Visible Landing spot
Weather conditions outside
Distance covered
Reminder to save ongoing work
FLIGHT IN-AIR
8.LANDING OF
THE VEHICLE
9.TURNING OFF
THE VEHICLE
10.EXITING
THE VEHICLE
11.END
OF JOURNEY
ARRIVE AT DESTINATION
Seat adjustments for landing
Altitude Calm indications
Distance covered
Estimated time to real time match
Battery level
Location Details
Estimated time to real time match
Battery level of PAV
Weather conditions outside
Location Details
Estimated time to real time match
Battery level of PAV
Weather conditions outside
Egress greeting
User wanting to know status of their PAV perpetually
PRIMARY TASKS
KEY ACTIVITIES
MAJOR CONCERNS
INGRESS
ENTER DESTINATION
EGRESS
INTRA-CITY TRANSPORT
PAV AS LIVING SPACE
SAFETY
OPERATING LEARNING CURVE
AIR TRAFFIC REGULATIONS
VIABILITY AND RANGE
BRIEF
WHAT
FOR WHOM
Design a User Interface for a two seater e-Passenger Drone to be primarily used by an elite group of professionals with tight schedules, opulent choices and an eye for luxury for their Intra-city commute.
WHY
PAV SPECIFICATIONS
DURATION
MOTOR
BATTERY CAPACITY
SIZE
CONFIGURATION
CAPACITY
SPEED
8 Fixed pith propellers
8x100kW electric motors
110 kWh
8x8m(height)
2.8m(propeller diameter)
2.2 t(take off weight)
High lift propulsion Units
2 Passengers
120 km/h
30 Minutes
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
What information does a User want to know about and see during this Journey
Entry of Destination details in Advance
yes
No
ONBOARDING GREETING
ONBOARDING GREETING with Destination Details
Enter Destination Details
DASHBOARD
Time. Temperature. Battery. RouteMap
OBD
Battery Details
Engine Health
Propellor Health
SEATING
Seat Temperature
Seat Settings
SAFETY
Safe assist
Safety Doors
Safety Belt
MODES
Work Mode
Relax Mode
Sleep Mode
Gaming Mode
Home Theatre
City View
ENTERTAINMENT
Music/Podcasts
OTT Platforms
Camera
EMERGENCY
Emergency Landing
Emergency auto call
Input via
Device
Bluetooth
Pendrive
AUX
EXISTING UI
UI CONCEPT
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
Space, display,
No Display concept- Projection on the existing central console of the cabin interior- space saving and futuristic
INTERFACE FEATURES
Some of the main screens featuring primary activities on the Interface
Personalised Greeting on entering the PAV
Choose Destination and confirm Route to Destination, ETA and battery consumption prediction for the distance
Entertainment system, along with change of modes- lighting and Temperature adjustment, seat incline and temperature settings, seat massage options and so on.
Intuitive Active and Inactive parts of the UI Dashboard
Route Map in real time along with ETA, altitude details and distance covered
INTERFACE DESIGN
Familiarity + Giving Control back to the User using Steering wheel inspired UI Dashboard
EXPLORATIONS
FINAL PROTOTYPE- UNDER NDA
The deliverable to NMICPS TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION HUB AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION FOUNDATION, TiHAN IIT Hyderabad is confidential. Please schedule a discussion with me to showcase the prototype outcome.
PHASE 2
Phase 2 will comprise of design of the interiors, development of prototype and service design for Passenger drones in Smart city mobility
CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ADOPTION OF PAVs
The true success of developing a fully functional autonomous vehicle is not dependent on launching innovative technology; it lies with the perception of autonomous vehicles in people’s mind.
