BEEfficient

Research on the acceptance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)

BEEfficient is a cooperative project between the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) and their industrial partner BEEappliance GmbH. In the part conducted by the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, the project focused on social and scientific goals. This project is funded by the Ministry of Transportation and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) and investigates society’s acceptance of UAVs.

During the project, a two-fold research design has been developed to qualitatively and quantitatively measure the public`s acceptance of urban air vehicles (UAVs). As a first step, an online survey with 258 participants was conducted and the results were analyzed and documented in the scientific paper (currently under review). Building on the survey results, an innovative study design was developed and tested to measure participants’ attitudes towards UAVs in the real airfield. The research designs especially target factors, that could be relevant in the context of UAVs and can be used flexibly for subsequent projects in the area of UAVs. They are interesting for the research area, as well as for UAV manufacturers, particularly for the evaluation of economic exploitation.

On July 28, 2020, the airfield study took place on the in-house airfield of BEEappliance GmbH. The following two pictures show the study setup and a drone flight.

Figure 1: Setup of the airfield study. On the right: The THI team with some participants.

Figure 2: Airfield study from the perspective of the participants. On the left of the picture the camera with a tripod and at the lower edge of the picture pylons for demarcation.

Color your drone workshop

On the 27th of November in 2019, a “Color your drone” workshop was held during a visit to Ingolstadt’s Katharinen-Gymnasium, in which the schoolgirls discussed drones and their possible effects on our everyday lives on the one hand, and drones on the other colored in a color that you feel comfortable with. The “Color your drone” workshop was also held on November 14 of the same year, with Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt students as part of World Usability Day (see picture below).

Figures 3 and 4: Colored drone pictures from the “Color Your Drone” workshop held in November 2019 at the THI.

Employees: Martina Schuß, Andreas Löcken