Displaydrone: a flying robot based interactive display

Abstract

This paper introduces the Displaydrone, a novel system that combines a multicopter (flying robot) with a video projector and a mobile phone into a flying interactive display for projecting onto walls and arbitrary objects in physical space. Being quickly and flexibly deployed in open space, the Displaydrone allows the angle and direction of the projection to be adjusted on the fly. We realized the Displaydrone system with a custom-built octocopter, an off-the-shelf pico projector, an Android phone and went on flying. By carrying out an experimental evaluation we obtained first impressions on how the Displaydrone is perceived by a viewing audience. The paper highlights the findings and discusses the Displaydrone's potential for enabling new kinds of social group interactions in physical space.