315: Design and Implementation of an AI-based low-cost Flight Simulator (Multidisciplinary Team)

We created a low-cost drone simulator with artificial intelligence (AI) to teach K-12 students and drone enthusiasts about drone controls. Drones are often expensive, which makes it hard for schools and hobbyists to access this technology. We aimed to make learning about drone controls, programming and AI fun, easy and affordable, with students as the focus.

We used affordable hardware and open-source software to keep costs low. The AI helped users by guiding them to a given destination by providing the shortest distance from the start point. We designed the simulator to be simple for teachers to use as well as hobbyists who wanted a low-cost drone simulator.

This simulator gave students, teachers and enthusiasts a way to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) without needing expensive tools. Our project showed learning tools can be affordable and exciting, inspiring interest in STEM and drone technology.