Researchers at the Queen’s Human Media Lab (HML) have unveiled drone technology that allows users to virtually construct three-dimensional structures. 

HML’s BitDrone system was unveiled earlier this month at the 28th annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

The BitDrones system uses self-levitating nano-quadcopter drones — drones that use four small propellers — to create complex 3D models that translate toreal-time computer designs. Roel Vertegaal, the director of HML and a professor of human-computer interaction in the School of Computing, says he’s thrilled by the progress his team has made. 

Vertegaal said BitDrones are a first step toward developing high-quality, levitating programmable matter — material capable of being bent, curved and reshaped — at a moment’s notice.

“They sort of resemble flying LEGO bricks,” Vertegaal said, with a smile, “but the application goes beyond simple toys.”

BitDrones technology is different than previous virtual reality programs, Vertegaal said. It’s a “real-reality” interface, where users can interact with real material — meaning drones — without being hooked up to a headset or computer device. 

HML has developed three types of drones: ShapeDrones, DisplayDrones and PixelDrones. Each drone has reflective markers, allowing the system’s software to track the movement and position of the drones.

Vertegaal added that there are many technical issues that need to be addressed before the team can move forward. Most notably, the ShapeDrone’s relatively bulky size — 2.5 to 5 inches — can cause turbulence that impedes other ShapeDrones and causes them to plummet downwards, he said. 

Despite technical issues, Vertegaal said he’s confident they’ll be fixed and he’s looking forward to the future of BitDrones.  

“The next step is to scale [the drones] down. This will allow for precise modeling of increasingly complex objects,” he said. 

The current BitDrones system can only accommodate 5 to 10 drones at a time, but the HML team aims to make the system capable of supporting thousands of miniscule ShapeDrones in the future.