Students build and keep a professional robotics kit, including a robot car and an autonomous drone, and write real Python code rather than using drag-and-drop blocks, providing a more authentic engineering experience.
The AI Robotics & Autonomous Drone Lab by Research Ignited is a live, online, hands-on program for middle and high school students. Participants learn Python-powered robotics, sensors, electronics, AI, computer vision, and autonomous drone concepts through guided online projects. Students build with a professional robotics kit (SunFounder PiCar-X AI robot car with Raspberry Pi, a CoDrone EDU, and sensors) which they purchase separately (approximately $400) and keep after the course. The curriculum covers Python for robotics, sensors and motors, robot control logic, obstacle avoidance, line following, OpenCV-based vision, AI-assisted decision-making, drone control concepts, and autonomous flight logic. Students complete three real projects: an autonomous obstacle avoider, a smart vision sorting bot, and an AI-inspired drone challenge. The program emphasizes writing real Python code and debugging hardware, fostering a valuable engineering mindset. Upon completion, students receive a Research Ignited certificate and a strong foundation in Python, AI, and robotics for future endeavors.
A typical day involves interactive lectures introducing AI/ML concepts, live coding walkthroughs by the instructor, and hands-on project work where students complete missing code sections and customize existing code to accomplish tasks.
This program is ideal for curious middle and high school students in grades 6-12 with no prior programming experience who want to explore AI, robotics, and drones through hands-on projects and real Python coding.
Virtual
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