A group of students from Russian universities has developed a SkyControl glove that allows you to control drones with gestures. The device is synchronized with the drone and repeats the user’s hand: the raised palm makes the device fly up, and the turn – to change the direction.
The project, created with the participation of students of NIAU MEPhI and Samara University, has already passed the Rosatoma accelerator and became the laureate of the Torch of the National Technological Olympiad. According to the leader of the project Anastasia Popova, the system is so simple that even a beginner will be able to master the basic control of a drone in just 10 minutes of training on the simulator.
The glove is equipped with gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers, which monitor the position of the hand and transmit signals to the controller, and then to the drone. Although the main use of SkyControl is associated with drones, the developers note that the system can also be adapted for other devices: ground robots, cameras or even smartphones.
It is planned that the first batch of gloves will go to educational centers in the fall of 2025.