Day 3: Diving Deeper into Coding and the Competition
Day three was all about enhancing coding skills. We started the day off at the massive computer lab learning about functions. Using functions allows us to not do so much of the math. It makes out code easier to understand and much cleaner. Adding inputs can assign new variables and this piece of code will only apply to the inputs. We were tasked with re-doing some of our previous challenges but with functions. We worked in our teams and completed the challenges quickly
Another part of this drone was also being able to fly the drone manually. We downloaded the TELLO app on our phones and connected the drone to it. After getting the hang of it, we had to do a mission where we would fly through 3 hoops. We did another mission where we used the manual controls to “rescue” a lego minifigure using a string and magnet. This one was definitely the hardest part because sometimes the minifigure wouldn't stick to the magnet or we wouldn't be able to fly precisely enough. Soon after we were split up into 3 groups and had a relay race with the drones. My team won once and lost the other one. It was very exciting controlling the drones and flying them through the hoops.
The main part of this camp was incorporating everything that we learned using real life problem solving skills. We had to debug their code, troubleshoot unexpected drone behaviors, and optimize their programs for smoother operations. This hands-on problem-solving experience was invaluable, mirroring real-world scenarios where things rarely go as planned on the first try.
There were 3 challenges, the Green Challenge, the Red challenge, and the Blue Challenge.
The green challenge(to the left) had a layout of mats 5 by 5 where cubes were placed on the corners. Our job was to fly the drone from the helicopter pad into each one of the cubes and land it inside.
The next challenge was the blue challenge where we would decide to go to the lower tunnel or the higher tunnel. We would have to decide which one to do using our concepts that we learned like if/else conditions and loops
The next challenge was the red challenge where we would have to code the drone to fly through the boxes, into the top tunnel, and then back down into the other 2 boxes making sure not to hit anything. This was the hardest challenge due to the small tunnel and the inconsistency of the drones.
We had a lunch break and then a person named Landon Blake came from a private company named Redefined Horizons. Redefined Horizons helps clients plan and execute real estate development and infrastructure projects. Through the application of excellent planning and process management, we focus on reducing risk and eliminating problems in real estate. We also help clients coordinate the work of different real estate professionals. These professionals include land surveyors, property appraisers, land planners, land attorneys, land title officers, and real estate brokers. They told us about how they use drones to solve daily challenges.
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