Skip to content

Software Requirements Specification

Gesture-Based Drone Control System

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose

This Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document describes the functional and non-functional requirements for the Gesture-Based Drone Control System (GBDCS). It is intended to guide the design, development, and testing of a system that enables users to control an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) through real-time hand gesture recognition, eliminating the need for traditional handheld remote controllers.

1.2 Scope

The Gesture-Based Drone Control System shall:

  • Capture and interpret human gestures in real time using computer vision
  • Translate recognized gestures into precise drone flight commands (e.g., takeoff, land, move, rotate, hover)
  • Provide a low-latency, reliable communication interface between the gesture recognition module and the drone's flight controller
  • Support operation in varied lighting and environmental conditions
  • Ensure safe failsafe behavior in the event of gesture misrecognition or signal loss

The system is designed for applications including aerial photography, search and rescue operations, recreational use, and accessibility-focused UAV control for users with limited motor ability.

1.3 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

Term Definition
UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle — the drone being controlled
GBDCS Gesture-Based Drone Control System
SRS Software Requirements Specification
CV Computer Vision — image processing used to detect gestures
ML Machine Learning — used to classify gesture inputs
GCS Ground Control Station — the processing unit running gesture recognition
API Application Programming Interface
SDK Software Development Kit
FPS Frames Per Second — camera capture rate
Latency Time delay between gesture input and drone response
Failsafe Predefined safe behavior triggered upon system fault

1.4 Overview

The remainder of this SRS is organized as follows:

  • Section 2 — Functional Requirements: Details the specific behaviors and functions the system must perform.
  • Section 3 — Non-Functional Requirements: Specifies performance, reliability, safety, and usability standards.
  • Section 4 — Constraints and Assumptions: Lists technical, regulatory, and design limitations.
  • Appendices: Supporting material including glossary, diagrams, and reference documents.

2. Functional Requirements

2.1 Gesture Recognition

  • FR-01: The system shall capture video at minimum 30 fps
  • FR-02: The system shall detect and track hand landmarks in real time using a computer vision library
  • FR03: The system shall recognize a list of predefined gestures
  • FR-04: The system shall reject unrecognized or ambiguous gestures and maintain the drone's last valid state.

2.2 Gesture Command Mapping

  • FR-05: The system shall map each recognized gesture to a specific drone command
  • FR-06: The system shall process and dispatch a command within 200ms of gesture recognition.

2.3 Drone Communications

  • FR-07: The system shall trigger a failsafe hover or land command if the communication link is lost for more than 2 seconds.
  • FR-08: The system shall receive and process telemetry data from the drone at regular intervals.

2.4 Failsafe and Safety

  • FR-09: The system shall immediately command the drone to hover if no gesture is detected for more than 3 seconds.
  • FR-10: The system shall initiate an emergency landing if the drone battery drops below 15%.
  • FR-11: The system shall prevent takeoff if the gesture recognition module is not fully initialized.
  • FR-12: The system shall log all issued commands and system events with timestamps for post-flight review.

2.5 User Interface

  • FR-13: The system shall display a live camera feed with gesture landmark overlays on the operator's screen.
  • FR-14: The system shall display the currently recognized gesture and the corresponding command in real time.
  • FR-15: The system shall display key drone telemetry data including altitude, battery percentage, and flight mode.
  • FR-16: The system shall provide visual and/or audio alerts for critical events such as low battery, signal loss, or failsafe activation.

3. Non-Functional Requirements

3.1 Performance

  • NFR-01: End-to-end gesture-to-command latency shall not exceed 200ms
  • NFR-02: Gesture recognition shall not cause CPU usage to exceed 70% on the target hardware.

3.2 Reliability

  • NFR-04: The system shall maintain a command success rate of at least 95% under normal operating conditions.
  • NFR-05: False command rate due to background noise or environmental interference shall not exceed 1%.

3.3 Usability

  • NFR-06: A new user shall complete basic flight operations after no more than 15 minutes of training.
  • NFR-07: All critical information shall be visible in a single view without navigation.
  • NFR-08: Error messages shall clearly describe the issue and suggest a corrective action.

3.4 Safety

  • NFR-09: All failure modes shall result in a defined safe state - no failure shall cause uncontrolled drone behavior.

3.5 Maintainability

  • NFR-14: The codebase shall follow a modular architecture separating gesture recognition, command mapping, and drone communication.
  • NFR-15: Each module shall have a unit test suite with at least 80% code coverage.

Base Features

Some functionality is deemed as a base feature and as such does not fall part of a use case * Base Feature 1: Registration and Login System * Base Feature 2: Basic Themes * Base Feature 3: Form Validation

Use Cases

  • Use Case 1: Hand Tracking and Gesture Recognition
  • Use Case 2: Dashboard Telemetry
  • Use Case 3: Drone Simulator and Adaptors

Use Case Diagram

Use Case Diagram

Domain Model

Domain Model

Architecture Diagram

Architecture Diagram