We have developed a prototype of a human-machine interface (HMI) to control a drone using the embedded gyroscope and microphone on a smartphone. The prototype allows gesture and voice-activated control of the drone in a more intuitive way. In particular, voice controls are used for issuing emergency actions to be taken by the drone.

The use of such an interface would allow to control drones to conduct operations that cannot be made based on a script of commands as found on a pre-planned mission. For instance, in the future it may be possible that emergency repair drones could be available on a remote mission to the Moon or Mars. If a drone experiences any faults, then a human operator may take control of a repair drone to go over the faulty drone and try to fix it.