A Comparative Study of the Performance of Traditional and Immersive Drones in Structural Inspection Tasks

The implementation of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) as an operational tool in the AECO (architecture, engineering, construction, operation) sector has significantly changed structural inspection tasks. To harness the potential of cutting-edge technology, this research compared the performance of conventional and immersive drone technology (FPV (first-person view) goggles and motion control) in simulated scenarios. 28 engineering students participated in two activities that recreated realistic structural inspection environments: detecting structural anomalies and flying through an aerial obstacle course. The results showed that the immersive drone outperformed the conventional drone in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, yielding more findings, fewer collisions and more accurate flight paths. Suggesting that the learning curve of the immersive interface provided advantages in control and spatial perception tasks, projecting its potential benefits for the industry.