Abstract

The system is designed to intervene in scenarios, where an autonomous AI agent – the ‘‘new driver’’ – encounters conditions too complex or unorthodox for autonomy alone to handle. We present here the first part of the paper. The concluding part will be published in July issue. A scalable, agent-based platform – termed AITL-WING-HITL – was developed for the telemanipulation of Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (A-UAVs) from the perspective of a human–multi robot architecture, leveraging Digital Twins (DTs) of integrated aerial traffic. This system is designed to intervene in scenarios, where an autonomous AI agent – the ‘‘new driver’’ – encounters conditions too complex or unorthodox for autonomy alone to handle. The platform incorporates a patented, force-sensitive, precision control device known as the WING – an immersive tool tested with participants using measurable parameters to validate the system’s effectiveness and identify areas for further improvement. The findings indicate that AITL (Autonomy-In-The-Loop) A-UAV agents and HITL (Human-In-The-Loop) Human Telemanipulator (HTM) agents can co operate to achieve high-performance, synergistic task execution through a socio cognitive interaction model embedded in the platform. By addressing current challenges and outlining directions for future exploration, this research not only provides an overview of the evolving landscape of drone telemanipulation but also serves as a roadmap for ongoing and future efforts in this critical field.