The board game enables players to reflect on the use of delivery drones in a local context, providing an effective format for undertaking focus group activities. The board shows well known locations, and the gameplay involves realistic drone scenarios including choices related to ground risk (i.e., the risk of a fatality to a third party on the ground due to a drone crash), time, and energy along with other operational parameters, with prompts throughout the game requiring participants to reflect on different aspects of drone delivery.
Key findings from focus groups based on game-playing sessions were that players were observed making route decisions related to risk and energy, conscious of flying over high-risk areas and reflecting on the trade-off between risk minimisation and energy consumption. General concerns about safety, privacy, and illicit drone use were discussed by players. Players also reflected on drone regulations such as where they should fly, landing and take-off sites, and the registration of drones. Players being drawn to the medical use-case, often seen as acceptable due to perceived social benefits, and some common misconceptions among players (e.g., use of drones leading to reduced road traffic congestion) were also noted by facilitators.
In addition, the project has developed a tablet-based digital game, which uses ground risk as part of a visual drone route planning tool. Through playing the game, players can gain a better appreciation of the implications for drone energy consumption of taking longer, less risky flightpaths that avoid areas with higher population densities. Players construct a route on a 2D grid atop a satellite image of an area creating a route from an origin location to a destination. After constructing a route, the user is shown a 3D flyover scene displaying a simulated drone flight along that route. Here, they are shown statistics about their specified route including the amount of energy the drone consumed and an indication of the fatality risk associated with the drone flight. The game has been translated to three different locations, Southampton, Bournemouth, and Coventry, and used to for studies and public engagement events in those locations. Preliminary findings from pilot trials indicate the game’s effectiveness in engaging audiences and stimulating discussions about drone deliveries.
Nadeem T, Dickinson J, Smith A, King K, Cherrett T, Oakey A, Grote M, Pilko A (2024) ‘Game of (delivery) drones: a serious game exploring transport futures involving logistics drones with stakeholders’, Journal of Transport and Health, 38.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2024.101881
Snow B, Dickinson J, Smith A, Chang J, Nadeem T, Pilko A, Cherrett T, Oakey A and Blakesley A. Navigating the Skies: A Serious Game for Exploring Drone Energy Consumption, Flight Risk, and Societal Impact in Logistics. 9th Joint International Conference on Serious Games (JCSG 2023), 26-27 October 2023, Dublin, Ireland. Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44751-8_27
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