Download PDFOpen PDF in browserWorker-Drone Communication in Construction: Perspectives from Safety Experts10 pages•Published: July 23, 2025AbstractDrones are increasingly utilized in the construction industry, raising novel safety concerns for workers who share the same environment. We developed a drone communication protocol in Virtual Reality (VR), which enabled safe worker drone interaction through various natural communication modalities. To further develop this communication protocol in real drones and apply it to future construction sites, it is necessary to investigate its feasibility and implementation requirements. Therefore, we adopted a two-phase participatory design approach involving safety experts in the early design phases to inform future research efforts. In the first phase, safety experts were presented with the communication protocols in immersive VR and could utilize them in a virtual construction site scenario. In the second phase, we gathered their feedback through semi-structured interviews based on a social robot participatory design framework, considering both modalities and interactions. The checklist generated from the interview results was subsequently sent back to the safety experts for validation, resulting in final challenges and recommendations that emphasized augmenting and tailoring communication modalities to specific site environments and work contexts. As the first participatory design effort involving safety experts in human-drone interactions within construction, this study provides valuable insights for future advancements to enhance site safety.Keyphrases: construction safety, human drone interaction, participatory design, virtual reality In: Wesley Collins, Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference, vol 6, pages 530-539.
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