When you think of summer camp, you probably think of activities like soccer, flag football, swimming, and arts and crafts. But that’s not what happened at the inaugural drone camp for kids at Griffiss International Airport in Rome. Instead of learning how to make s’mores over a campfire, the 39 attendees learned all about the tech behind drones and how they worked. The final session ended a few days ago with a race through an obstacle course inside one of the airport hangars.
Cole O’Shaughnessy was one of the finalists, and he had this to say about it. “It’s cool to be able to fly something, have something move around off the ground. I think it’s cool.”
Campers spent most of their time learning the math and science behind drone technology, even building their own under the supervision of the camp staff. The drones they build themselves were taken home after the camp was over, an interactive souvenir.
The race course had a very basic setup, but organizers are interested in building a more sophisticated indoor racetrack that can be used year round. They also intend to construct an outdoors course at the old air base there. As of right now, however, the plans are to take the lesson developed for camp and bring them to nearby schools to help them create their own drone class.
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