UAV Remote Controller

An ergonomical remote controller for quadcopters

I was working on this project as part of design and engineering team in “Geoscan Group”, Saint-Petersburg. We needed a remote controller for our new product “Geoscan 801 Videocopter”. Remote controllers presented on the market were either too bulky and complex, which made them hard to use, or too simple to offer enough functions. A decision was made to develop a controller that would be unique, ergonomical, high quality and offering full functionality for the newly developed quadcopter.

One of the most important goals in designing a handhled device is making it comfortable to use for extended periods of time. A drone operator can hold the remote controller for hours. In fact our customers among the most important requirements marked simplicity of use, comfortable and firm grip, easy to reach controls, comfortable working position and good weight balance. We took these requirements as our design goals to produce a remote controller for enjoyable and satisfying use

Simplicity of form and controls

For easier tansportation we developed foldable antennas that do not protrude from the body of the RC. Joysticks are removable and hide in a pocket in the rear of the RC. Ports are placed in a recess on the underside. These features make the remote control as compact as possible when it is transported or just put aside on the table.

Compact and easy to transport

We designed the controller to look strict and simple without any confusing elements to make it easier to use. Made it visually soft and comfortable as well. We also decided to keep simple color scheme with grey color as the dominant with darker shades on interactive elements like buttons, grips and caps, intuitively guiding the user. Different textures and materials add visual interest and play a practical role, for example, grips have non-slip texture, upper buttons are rubbery, but harder to push, and front buttons are smooth for fingers to move comfortably.