Drones to Inspire Student Innovation

Lots of university teachers believe students learn more quickly by doing in a class offered at the University of Missouri in the upcoming fall semester, students will find out by developing software application applications and flying.

Thirty students in the Information Technology application will invest 2 afternoons weekly screening software application they craft for use in unmanned aerial systems, more commonly known as drones. Course instructor Matthew Dickinson has designed the class to expose students to how drones run, potential applications of the innovation and the legal and ethical concerns surrounding their use.

“The Information Technology Program’s interest in unmanned aerial systems is stemmed from the details technology abilities of the platform,” stated Dale Musser, director of the IT program. “From locating lost kids to assessing the state of crops, the unmanned aerial systems have useful applications that have to be created, explored and improved-upon. Infotech are always progressing, and it is essential for the IT Program to progress with them.”.

Dickinson has been dealing with drones at MU for 4 years and is the application director for the MU Drone Lab.

For this course, he bought 12 Parrot.AR drones, which technically are quadcopters approximately formed like a four-leaved clover. The Parrot.AR drones will be readily available to students in addition to drones the program currently has. Students working in groups of 5 or 6 will develop new software application applications for them and devise imaginative uses for the aerial innovation.

“We’ll be more focused on the useful application of drones,” Dickinson stated. “I’m aiming to keep it as open as possible so students don’t have preconceived notions. I don’t wish to inform them what to do; I want to see exactly what their young minds can come up with.”.

Since of legal demands enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration, the class will fly drones inside structures– including MU’s Lafferre Hall, Hearnes Center and Trowbridge Livestock Center. The application remains in the process of using for a Certificate of Authorization through the Federal Aviation Administration to also permit flying outdoors, Dickinson said.

Dickinson is hoping students will think about innovative usages for drone innovation– everything from mapping structures to delivering things, he said.

One MU IT student enrolled in the fall course, senior Aaron Scantlin, purchased his own Parrot.AR drone this spring to work with at house. He’s extremely excited about the upcoming class, he said.

“All of Matthew’s classes are extremely hands-on, which’s exactly what I anticipate for this class, too,” Scantlin said. “I’m excited to try some of the adjustments Matthew might suggest for the class drones on mine in your home.”.

Scantlin presently is registered in an IT capstone course that involves establishing uses for drone innovation. He and 3 other students are working to produce a video and image recognition analysis system that might be made use of for search and rescue objectives. In Dickinson’s class, Scantlin prepares to broaden upon exactly what he’s already found out with his capstone group.

“There aren’t lots of books on drones, so students will learn by experimentation– by dealing with the innovation to influence them to establish concepts and ideas,” Dickinson stated.