Date of Award

6-15-2024

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering

Organizational Unit

Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, Computer Science

First Advisor

Kerstin S. Haring

Second Advisor

Keith E. Miller

Third Advisor

Chris J. GauthierDickey

Keywords

Autonomous aerial vehicles, Bystanders, Logistics, Mobile applications, Privacy, Value-centered design

Abstract

A common set of problems commercial delivery companies face is finding ways to increase the efficiency and reliability of the “last mile” of a package’s journey, all while reducing operating costs. This need for efficiency has driven many companies to explore using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to get packages to their final destination. Although UAVs have great potential to help increase efficiency in commercial package delivery, this comes at a potential cost to the privacy of people who intersect the flight paths of these unmanned vehicles. This thesis explores the effect of a mobile phone application for commercial delivery drones on bystander privacy perception of drone delivery systems. Further, it presents a method for determining what privacy measures should be implemented to engender trust in unmanned delivery platforms. This thesis proposes that the acceptance and adoption of commercial drone delivery systems by the general public requires policies and technologies that address the public’s most significant concerns: safety and privacy. This thesis presents evidence that a user-centered mobile application could increase trust in commercial drone flights. This thesis contextualizes and expands upon the author’s previously published work by presenting a literature review of the state of the drone delivery field and proposing the experimental design for a follow-up study that expands on the findings of the initial study [1].

Copyright Date

6-2024

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Jurgen Heinz Famula

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

122 pgs

File Size

13.4 MB

Download



Share

COinS