Flying a drone with gestures, bananas & Web APIs - Lucky Nkosi - NDC Oslo 2026

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The talk’s value lies in its practical showcase of emerging web APIs, making abstract concepts tangible through live experiments. The argumentation is built on personal experience, which adds authenticity but also introduces unpredictability. The speaker explains technical details succinctly, making it accessible. The step-by-step progression from failed attempts to successful demos strengthens the narrative, though the reliability of the demos is questionable due to technical issues. Overall, the talk provides a compelling case for exploring web APIs beyond traditional browser features.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The speaker references MDN Web Docs for the Sensors API, Peter Oene’s open-source script for drone control, and mentions a prior talk by Jerry Young. He uses open-source tools like Wireshark and Arduino. The sources are credible and well-known in the developer community. The title accurately reflects the content, though the phrase ‘gestures’ is slightly exaggerated as the final demo uses a phone’s motion rather than hand gestures. The talk’s scientific rigor is moderate, as it is a personal narrative rather than a systematic study.

The title accurately reflects the content: flying a drone with gestures, bananas, and web APIs. It captures the fun and experimental nature of the talk.

6/10

The talk presents personal experiments with web APIs and drone control. The speaker is an experienced developer and lecturer, but the content is anecdotal and not peer-reviewed. Live demos had technical difficulties, but the explanations are coherent and practical.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction and personal background; speaker introduces himself and teases the topic.
• 04:00Story about purchasing a cheap drone from Wish.com and starting to hack it.
• 08:00Attempts with Wireshark and mobile app fail; moves to Bluetooth Low Energy.
• 13:00Explanation of Bluetooth Low Energy and its differences from traditional Bluetooth.
• 18:00Introduction to the Sensors API; building a phone-accelerometer-controlled drone.
• 24:00First demo attempt with accelerometer fails; audience interaction and troubleshooting.
• 30:00Successful demo controlling drone with phone tilt; celebration and applause.
• 36:00Introduction of the banana idea; building a Makey Makey controller with fruits.
• 40:00Live demo flying drone with two bananas; humorous interactions and successful flight.
• 45:00Gesture-based control without touching; final demo and wrap-up.

• NDC Conferences — Conference series where this talk was presented.
• NDC Oslo — Specific event website for NDC Oslo.

• MDN Web Docs — Reference for web APIs like Bluetooth and Sensors discussed in the talk.
• Wireshark — Network protocol analyzer the speaker used to inspect drone communication.
• Makey Makey — Device used in the banana demo to trigger inputs via capacitive touch.