Coding Drones with DroneBlocks for Youth

A student connects his drone to the DroneBlocks app on his iPad during Youth Drone Camps by Volatus Aerospace.

Preparing Students for Careers in Technology-Based Fields

Coding has become a critical skill in today's technology-driven world. With the increasing demand for technology professionals, there is a need to prepare students early on for these careers. This is where block coding comes in - a fun and engaging way to introduce young students to coding principles. Block coding uses visual blocks of code that students can drag and drop to create sequences of commands.

Volatus Aerospace, a leading drone solutions company, understands the importance of introducing students to coding at a young age. Volatus offers a perfect way to engage students in STEM-based learning by coding drones to navigate an obstacle course through their Youth Drone Camps (YDC) educational program. Youth Drone Camps are available anywhere in the United States and Canada, and the program provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn coding and drone technology through a partnership with DroneBlocks, an app that enables quick and simple block coding for the drones used in the program.

Coding Enhances Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking and Logical Reasoning

The importance of coding skills development for youth cannot be overstated. Today, coding is one of the most sought-after skills in the job market, with many industries requiring professionals with coding expertise. In addition, coding teaches valuable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. By introducing young students to coding early on, they can develop these skills, which will be invaluable in their future careers.

In DroneBlocks, students move around visual blocks of code that represent different programming concepts, such as loops, conditionals, and variables. By dragging and dropping these blocks, students can create sequences of commands that control a drone’s programmed behavior. This approach allows students to focus on the logic of programming without getting bogged down by the complexities of syntax. An example of a mission plan might be:

• Take-off

• Fly forward 80 inches

• Rotate right 45 degrees

• Fly forward 50 inches

• Flip forward

• Rotate left 90 degrees

• Fly forward 100 inches

• Land

By following the programmed procedure above, the drone will navigate around an obstacle course, gaining points for “style” in the process. If the students fail in their mission, they simply go back to the design phase of their mission and adjust their code to fix where the issue might be, and they test it again. Teaching students that failure is a learning opportunity.

DroneBlocks is a perfect example of how block coding can be used to engage students in STEM-based learning. It helps students develop an understanding of the basics of drone technology and programming concepts. The Youth Drone Camp program offered by Volatus Aerospace takes this a step further by providing a hands-on, real-world experience for students. Through this program, students learn not only coding principles but also teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, as well as photography and videography skills and knowledge.

If you’re looking for an excellent way to introduce young students to coding principles, consider Volatus Aerospace's Youth Drone Camps as a great example of how this can be done in a fun and engaging way.

Where Are Youth Drone Camps Offered?

Volatus has developed partnerships with several youth organizations to offer the programming as summer or weekend camps, but YDC is also primarily run through school districts interested in offering this programming for their student populations. We have run the program across the United States and Canada, and will come to you, wherever you are, bringing our equipment with us so you don’t have to worry about the logistics, other than ensuring we have a place to run the program (such as a gymnasium or a large multipurpose room).

How Can My Child Take Part in Youth Drone Camps?

The best way to enable your child to take part in YDC is to share information about the program with your local school administration, indicating that you think this would be a good option to run in your district. Alternatively, you could bring it forward to any regional youth programs, such as 4-H, Scouts, Cadets, or other, as this program as well as our MYdrone and Science Experiential Aerial Research (SEAR) program are a great fit for those types of organizations as well.