Drone Gesture Control using OpenCV and Tello

Tracking a person with an onboard camera is a very difficult and perhaps technically impossible if one camera is used. In this regard, real-life projects use a series of cameras to achieve the task. The advent of camera installed drone technology has made it possible for researchers and designers to resolve the tracking issues of a single or multiple stagnant devices. This paper presents a method that makes it possible for a drone to recognize hand gestures as control mechanism and follow the person who control it. Furthermore, the method assists in drone object detection using an integrated depth camera that provides video capturing. The OpenCV and Tello were used in this project. A stabilized depth video is for use with current person trackers like the OpenCV tracker. The estimated Tello pose deduced from vision to stabilize the depth image by warping it to a virtual-static camera. This method allows the Tello to obtain not only the tracked person's position and orientation but also their full body pose, which can then be used, for instance, to recognize hand gestures and alter the Tello's behavior. This work has a potential of contributing or enhancing cutting-edge applications such as hands-free photography and videography.