{"id":25991,"date":"2018-06-21T12:06:48","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T17:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=25991"},"modified":"2018-06-21T12:06:48","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T17:06:48","slug":"apsu-drone-clubs-machines-zip-dip-and-dive-for-governors-school-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2018\/06\/21\/apsu-drone-clubs-machines-zip-dip-and-dive-for-governors-school-students\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU Drone Club\u2019s machines zip, dip and dive for Governor\u2019s School students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin Peay State University<\/h2>\n

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – Austin Peay State University Harpeth Hall senior Mohini Misra didn\u2019t account for the wind.<\/p>\n

As she tried to maneuver the Spark drone through a small obstacle course set up in front of APSU\u2019s Dunn Center, the breeze pushed the tiny quadcopter to the side just a bit. Clearing the gate was harder than she thought.<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>

Austin Peay State University Drone Club president Mike Hunter fires up one of the racing drones.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

But she corrected the drone, guiding it through the gate and around two flags before returning to the gate and completing the course.<\/p>\n

APSU\u2019s GIS Center and the University\u2019s Drone Club brought out the drones on this sweltering June day to give students like Misra and her Governor\u2019s School of Computational Physics classmates a chance for hands-on learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to incorporate as many students as we can,\u201d Doug Catellier, GIS Center project manager and Drone Club adviser, said. \u201cWe want to show them some of the fun and exciting things we\u2019re doing here at Austin Peay to try to bring in more students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Governor\u2019s School students took turns flying the drones through the course. Some of them crashed into the flags. But they all completed the course.<\/p>\n

Then Drone Club president Mike Hunter fired up one of the racing drones, machines club members built to fly over 40 mph. As his drone zipped, dipped and dove around the Dunn Bowl, Governor\u2019s School students donned virtual reality goggles to watch through a camera mounted on the machine.<\/p>\n

The commercial drones help the GIS Center, and its student workers, accomplish its mission to work with clients in surrounding counties, including Cheatham County, Robertson County and Montgomery County.<\/p>\n

A student, for example, recently helped map the new disk golf course at Rotary Park, Catellier said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the student go out and fly the park several times,\u201d Catellier said. \u201cShe stitched all the 1,400 images together into one mosaic. She was able to digitize out where all the disk pads were (for Montgomery County Parks and Recreation).\u201d<\/p>\n

The GIS Center received a grant to next month create a virtual reality drone laboratory, or simulation center, to teach anyone who wants to check out a drone how to fly one.<\/p>\n

And the Drone Club is trying to qualify to race this fall semester in the Collegiate Drone Racing Association, where teams set up specified courses at their campuses and race remotely. This will be the Drone Club\u2019s first official season.<\/p>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n