The Cage: Towards a 6-DoF Remote Control with Force Feedback for UAV Interaction.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) require complex control and significant experience for piloting. While these devices continue to improve, there is, as yet, no device that affords six degrees of freedom (6-DoF) control and directional haptic feedback. We present The Cage, a 6-DoF controller for piloting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Cage is comprised of a handle suspended by eight lines, each coupled to a vertex, within a physical cuboid cage. Each line in turn is connected to a stepper motor, allowing the pilot to move and rotate the handle freely to control the UAV whilst obtaining accurate directional force feedback. This feedback can both subtly and absolutely constrain the control of the UAV to within the flight area thus preventing the pilot from hazard collisions. We define 4 modes of force feedback and a range of application areas. We then provide details of a proof-of-concept device and suggest areas for future work.