Remotely Piloted Aircraft: Analysis of the Deployment in Aeronautical Accident Investigation Bureau

Maria, Humberto Dorneles Santa; Frogeri, Rodrigo Franklin; Piurcosky, Fabrício Pelloso; Prado, Liz Áurea

doi:10.1590/jatm.v13.1187

Humberto Dorneles Santa Maria

Academia da Força Aérea – Pirassununga, São Paulo (SP), Brazil.

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0064-7379

Rodrigo Franklin Frogeri ^**Correspondence author: rodrigo.frogeri@professor.unis.edu.br

Grupo Educacional UNIS – Departamento de Pesquisa – Varginha, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7545-7529

Fabrício Pelloso Piurcosky

Grupo Educacional UNIS – Departamento de Pesquisa – Varginha, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5458-5129

Liz Áurea Prado

Grupo Educacional UNIS – Departamento de Pesquisa – Varginha, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil.

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2577-2712

*Correspondence author: rodrigo.frogeri@professor.unis.edu.br

Section Editor: Marina Efthymiou

AUTHOR’S CONTRIBUTION

Conceptualization: Maria HDM, Frogeri RF and Piurcosky FP; Data curation: Maria HDM, Frogeri RF, Piurcosky FP and Prado LA; Formal analysis: Maria HDM, Frogeri RF and Piurcosky FP; Funding acquisition: Frogeri RF; Investigation: Maria HDM; Methodology: Maria HDM, Frogeri RF and Piurcosky FP; Project administration: Maria HDM, Frogeri RF; Resources: Maria HDM and Frogeri RF; Supervision: Maria, HDM and Frogeri RF; Validation: Maria HDM, Frogeri RF, Piurcosky FP and Prado LA; Visualization: Maria HDM and Prado LA; Writing – original draft preparation: Maria HDM and Prado LA; Writing – review & editing: Maria HDM and Prado LA.

DIA score	Stool consistency	Occult blood test	Weight loss (%)
0	Normal	Negative (–)	< 1
1	Normal sparse stool	Weak positive (+)	1–5
2	Sparse stool	Positive (++)	5–10
3	Sparse stool diarrhea	Strong positive (+++)	10–15
4	Diarrhea	Bloody stool	≥ 15

Model	Model constructs	Analysis of model adequacy to the study objective
TAM (Davis 1989Davis F (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly 13(3):319-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-0483(98)00028-0 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-0483(98)00... )	External variables, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, intention to use	Used in the study due to higher suitability of the constructs to the study objective. TAM is more suitable to be used in this study because it does not have constructs and variables associated with consumption or financial aspects that are not applicable to the work context
TAM 1 (Davis and Venkatesh 1996Davis FD, Venkatesh V (1996) A model of the antecedents of perceived ease of use: Development and test. Decision Sci 27(3):451-481. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.1996.tb01822.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.1996... )	External variables, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavioral intention	The TAM 1 was adapted to assess the adoption of information systems, with the following items being incorporated into its external variables: system characteristics, involvement of the user in the system development and nature of the deployment process. We considered the variables incorporated to the TAM 1 as incompatible to the goal of this study and therefore we discarded their use in the research
TAM 2 (Venkatesh 2000Venkatesh V (2000) Determinants of perceived ease of use: integrating control, intrinsic motivation, acceptance model. Information Systems Research 11(4):342-365. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.11.4.342.11872 https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.11.4.342.11... )	Subjective norm, image, job relevance, output quality, result demonstrability, experience, voluntariness, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, intention to use, use behavior	The TAM 2 followed the same objective of the TAM 1 in the sense of adding variables that could explain the adoption of information systems in a better way. Variables that preceded the perceived usefulness construct, such as: Job Relevance, Output Quality, Result Demonstrability and Voluntariness were added to the model. These variables are not related to the goal of this study and therefore we discarded the model
UTAUT (*Venkatesh et al. 2003*Venkatesh V, Morris MG, Davis GB, Davis FD (2003) User acceptance of information technology: toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly 27(3):425-478. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540 https://doi.org/10.2307/30036540... )	Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, behavioral intention, use behavioral	The UTAUT was developed with the purpose of unifying the previous proposals of models that has been developed so far (TAM, TAM 1 and TAM 2). The following constructs were added: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions. The model was maintained with the purpose of assessing information systems. We discarded this model due to the inadequacy of the constructs to the research goal
TAM 3 (Venkatesh and Bala 2008Venkatesh V, Bala H (2008) Technology Acceptance Model 3 and a Research Agenda on Interventions. Decision Sciences Institute 39(2):273-315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.2008.00192.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.2008... )	Experience, voluntariness, subjective norm, image, job relevance, output quality, result demonstrability, anchor, adjustment, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, behavioral intention, use behavior	The TAM 3 was presented some years after the UTAUT model and brought several changes, especially with regard to constructs that preceded the perceived usefulness and ease of use. The ‘anchor’ and ‘adjustment’ of constructs had variables that are not applicable to the context of this study; therefore, the model was disregarded due to the inadequacy of the constructs to the research goal
UTAUT 2 (Venkatesh, Thong and Xu 2012Venkatesh V, Thong J, Xu X (2012) Consumer acceptance and user of information technology: Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. MIS Quarterly, 36(1):157-178. https://doi.org/10.2307/41410412 https://doi.org/10.2307/41410412... )	Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, price value, habit, behavioral intention, use behavioral, age, gender, experience	The UTAUT 2 was developed in order to provide the analysis of the consumer’s behavior. The UTAUT 2 model focus on the behavior analysis that is not related to the goal of this study, and its use was discarded.

Construct	Variables	Description	Reference	Theory
External variables (VE)	Experience/ previous use	Form of specific knowledge or skill thatwas acquired through systematic learning,improving over time; practice	Fishbein and Ajzen (1975)Fishbein M, Ajzen I (1977) Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Retrieved from: <https://www.jstor.org/stable/40237022>. Accessed on Oct. 14, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40237022... , *Davis et al. (1989)*Davis F, Bagozzi R, Warshaw P (1989) User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science 35(8):982-1003. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.8.982 https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.8.982...	TRA, TAM
	Documentation	Use of handbooks for obtainingknowledge about a particular subject
	Training/ suitability	Preparation, ability to develop skills
Perceived usefulness (UP)	Quality of work	Property that determines the essenceor nature of a being or thing	*Davis et al. (1989)*Davis F (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly 13(3):319-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-0483(98)00028-0 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-0483(98)00...	TAM
	Useful	The beneficial use of something; the service provided by someone or something; use
	Fast work	Quality of what or who is fast; speed, lightly; brevity
	Work performance	Performance
	Effectiveness	Real effect
	Transforms/ leaves the job easier	Facilitator
Perceived ease of use (FUP)	Ease-of-use	Skill in handling the equipment	*Davis et al. (1989)*Davis F (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly 13(3):319-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-0483(98)00028-0 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-0483(98)00...	TAM
	Mental effort	Degree of difficulty understanding
	Comprehensible	Subject to be understood, perceived; intelligible
	Easy to remember	Functions of commands andcontrols are easy to remember
	Controllable	Degree of equipment controllability
	Frustration	Feeling of incapacity in the face of obstacles that are difficult to overcome and that prevent one from achieving the satisfaction of a determined requirement
Behavioral intention of use (IC)	Attitude + perceived utility	Attitude in using the technology;considers useful technology	*Davis et al. (1989)*Davis F, Bagozzi R, Warshaw P (1989) User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science 35(8):982-1003. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.8.982 https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.8.982...	TAM

Research results		TAM variable – based on Table 3
[...] the majority of interviewees had some previous contact with RPAS or model airplanes		Experience/previous use
Prior contact of respondents with RPAS or model airplaneswas not observed as a prerequisite for the operation of RPAS		Experience/previous use
A manual with a logical sequence, objectivity and simplicitycan improve, quickly, the knowledge to operate a RPAS		Documentation/training/ suitability
Flight simulator use was recognized as a facilitator in learning		Documentation/training/ suitability

Research results		TAM variable – based on Table 3
[...] the investigators consider the equipment to have the capacity of improving the quality of investigations, and it is useful to understand an aeronautical accident dynamic It was evident the impression that the device significantly reduces time to obtain aerial images, as well as the cost for this acquisition Possibility of replacing manned aircraft by RPAS		Improves quality of work
		Useful to understand an aeronautical accident dynamic
		Helps to work faster
		Improves work performance
		Effectiveness – refers to real effect – RPAS reducesthe cost and time to obtain aerial images
		Transforms/leaves the job easier (possibility of replacing manned aircrafts by RPAS)

Research results		TAM variable – based on Table 3
[...] in the comments of the ease of use, it is noticed that the main obstacle pointed out by the interviewees is the difficulty to transport the equipment in commercial aircraft Investigators reported the simplicity to carry out the assembly, flights, landings and takeoffs, the pairing with the tablet and controller, as well as the ease of viewing the information in the interface The investigators stated that the RPAS control is simple (ease-of-use) and does not present learning difficulty (mental effort) or comprehensible commands to be performed. The few existing commands to control the RPAS make it easier to remember the actions that can be performed RPAS is simple to control (controllable), even for those who have never had previous experiences No frustration has been observed by investigators when using RPAS		RPAS is easy to pilot (simplicity to carry out the assembly, flights, landings and takeoffs)
		RPAS does not present learning difficulty (little mental effort to pairing with the tablet and controller, as well as viewing the information in the interface)
		RPAS commands are comprehensible (simple and few)
		RPAS control is easy to be performed (controllable)

Research results		TAM variable – based on Table 3
Considering behavioral intention, we concluded that the interviewees recommend the use of the tool (RPAS) for accident investigation Even though there is excitement with the new equipment, the investigators were assertive that it is necessary to analyze the occurrence beforehand, especially taking into account how it will be possible to get to the crash site, and then decide whether to use RPAS or not Characteristics of the crash site should be taken into consideration by the investigator. In an air accident in a flooded region or on a river/sea, the RPAS may not be useful		Attitude + perceived utility – refers to the attitude of using the technology; considers useful technology

[1] *Correspondence author: rodrigo.frogeri@professor.unis.edu.br

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Remotely Piloted Aircraft: Analysis of the Deployment in Aeronautical Accident Investigation Bureau

ABSTRACT