First Contact Matters: Exploring Pedestrian Perceptions of a Drone-Based Crossing Companion

Abstract

As pedestrian crossings in developing countries remain unsafe despite automated traffic control systems, some urban environments rely on “Kuya Guards”-human enforcers who direct traffic. While effective, these practices are inconsistent and place enforcers at risk. Building on prior work on drone technologies in more controlled urban contexts, we explore whether drone-based companions can be adapted to developing-country crossings. In this paper, we present Kuya Quard, a drone-based pedestrian crossing companion that communicates stop-go signals through positioning and light. Through drone prototyping workshops and embodied playlets, we iteratively designed a functional prototype and evaluated it through a Wizard-of-Oz, insitu study to observe pedestrian interactions with the prototype. Initial trends suggest that drone companions may help structure pedestrian crossing interactions, while cultural expectations strongly shape trust in the technology. We then propose design guidelines for drone companions that are sensitive to the social and infrastructural realities of dense urban environments.