Human Control of UAVs using Face Pose Estimates and Hand Gestures

As a first step towards human and multiple-UAV interaction, we present a novel method for humans to interact with flying UAVs using locally on-board video cameras. Using machine vision techniques, our approach enables human operators to command and control Parrot drones by giving them directions to move, using simple hand gestures. When a direction to move is given, the robot controller estimates the angle and distance to move with the help of a face score system and the estimated hand direction. This approach offers mobile robots the ability localize with human operators and provides UAVs/UGVs with a better perception of the environment around the human.