AR-glass-assisted drone operation for wheelchair users: an experimental comparison of operation modes

As an initial psychological and user-experience evaluation of accessible drone use, this study experimentally compared three drone-operation modes, line-of-sight, conventional screen-based, and AR-glass-assisted operation, among wheelchair users and examined their effects on presence, escapism, and state subjective vitality.

A between-subjects experiment was conducted with wheelchair users who had no prior drone-control experience. Participants were assigned to line-of-sight, conventional screen-based, or AR-glass-assisted drone operation. All participants received standardised training and completed an outdoor drone-operation task using the same drone model, flight route, task instructions, operation time, and safety procedures. Presence, escapism, and state subjective vitality were measured immediately after the task. Personal innovativeness with technology was included as a covariate, and the data were analysed using multivariate analysis of covariance and Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons.

Drone-operation mode significantly influenced the combined experiential outcomes. AR-glass-assisted operation produced the highest levels of presence, escapism, and state subjective vitality, followed by conventional screen-based operation and line-of-sight operation. The differences among operation modes were consistent across all three outcomes.

AR-glass-assisted drone operation may provide wheelchair users with a more immersive and psychologically meaningful leisure experience. Integrating the drone's visual perspective into a wearable field of view appears to strengthen presence, psychological escape, and immediate vitality, suggesting that drone-mediated AR may support remote environmental exploration as a form of accessible leisure without being framed as a substitute for physical mobility or accessible built environments.