Students build with and keep a professional robotics kit and autonomous drone, allowing for continued learning and experimentation beyond the program.
The AI Robotics & Autonomous Drone Lab is a live, online, hands-on program designed for middle and high school students (grades 6-12) curious about AI, robotics, and drones. Participants will gain practical experience by building and programming Python-powered robots and autonomous drones. The curriculum covers robotics fundamentals, sensors, electronics, AI, computer vision, and autonomous drone concepts through guided virtual projects. Students will engage in real engineering by writing Python code, wiring sensors, and debugging hardware, fostering a valuable engineering mindset. Projects include building an autonomous obstacle avoider and a smart vision sorting bot. Students get to keep a professional robotics kit, including a SunFounder PiCar-X AI robot car with Raspberry Pi and a CoDrone EDU, allowing for continued learning and experimentation.
A typical day involves interactive lectures introducing AI/ML concepts, followed by live coding walkthroughs where instructors demonstrate how to apply concepts using real datasets. Students then work on guided hands-on projects, completing missing code sections with instructor support and feedback. The program is beginner-friendly, starting from the basics, but also offers advanced project extensions and deeper technical challenges for students with prior coding experience. Key skills gained include Python programming for robotics, understanding robot control logic, obstacle avoidance, line following, OpenCV-based vision, AI-assisted decision-making, and autonomous flight logic.
A typical day involves interactive lectures introducing AI/ML concepts, followed by live coding walkthroughs and guided hands-on projects with instructor support and feedback.
This program is best for middle and high school students (grades 6-12) who are curious about AI, robotics, and drones, and want to gain hands-on experience building and programming real hardware with Python.
Online
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