Central College Upward Bound
Drone Workshop
Scan the QR Code to access this site ➡️
🌀 Icebreaker: Minute to Win It – “Defying Gravity”
Objective: Keep three balloons in the air for one full minute using only your hands, arms, and body—but NO grabbing or catching!
🚀Just like a drone must adjust constantly to air currents, gravity, and balance, you’ll need to make quick, controlled movements to keep the balloons floating.
🚁 Flight Reflection:
- What strategies helped you keep the balloons in the air?
- What made it harder—too much force? Too little?
- How do you think drones adjust for similar challenges in flight?
Drone Deliveries?!
🚁 Time to Fly! 🛸
Step 2: Challenges
Cargo Challenge: Using any materials of your choice, develop a method for your drone to pick up items and deliver them to a different location. You may also start by using the provided attachment to take your LEGO character for a ride.
- Can you complete a flip without the character falling off?
- Can you design a system for securely carrying cargo?
- Experiment with different materials and attachment methods to improve stability and control.
Get creative and test your design—how well does it handle movement, speed, and weight? See images below:
Obstacle Navigation Challenge: Create an obstacle course for your drone to navigate. You can use items from around the classroom, or create your own obstacles. See images below:
Drone Sports Challenge: Create your own drone sport! Whether it’s drone racing, drone soccer, drone candy delivery racing, drone football, drone basketball, or even drone wrestling, the possibilities are endless. Think about how to design a fun and competitive game while ensuring safety for both participants and spectators. Consider the rules, objectives, and any necessary modifications to your drone to enhance gameplay. How will you score points? What skills will players need? Get creative and develop a drone sport that is both exciting and safe to play!
Drone Careers
🚁 Drone & Aviation-Specific Careers
- Drone Pilot – Operate drones for industries like cinematography, real estate, and inspections.
- Aerospace Engineer – Design and improve drone technology for flight stability, efficiency, and innovation.
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Technician – Repair and maintain drones for government, commercial, or research use.
- Air Traffic Controller (Drone Integration) – Manage drone airspace as urban air mobility grows.
- Flight Test Engineer – Develop and test drones for companies like NASA, SpaceX, or defense contractors.
📸 Creative & Media Careers
- Aerial Photographer & Videographer – Capture stunning imagery for films, sports, and marketing.
- Virtual Reality (VR) & Gaming Designer – Use drone data to create realistic 3D landscapes for gaming and training simulations.
- Digital Content Creator – Create drone-based content for social media, YouTube, or advertising campaigns.
- Event Production Specialist – Use drones for live-streaming concerts, weddings, and sporting events.
- Drone Light Show Programmer – Coordinate hundreds of drones for synchronized sky performances!
🌿 Environmental & Agricultural Careers
- Precision Agriculture Specialist – Use drones to monitor crop health, irrigation, and soil conditions.
- Wildlife Conservationist – Track endangered species and study habitats using drone technology.
- Forestry & Land Management Expert – Assess forest health, prevent wildfires, and monitor illegal deforestation.
- Environmental Scientist – Map environmental changes, track pollution, and monitor climate shifts.
- Geospatial Analyst (GIS Specialist) – Use drones to collect and analyze topographical and mapping data.
🏗️ Construction & Infrastructure Careers
- Surveyor & Mapping Specialist – Use drones to create 3D maps and models for city planning.
- Structural Inspector – Inspect bridges, buildings, and cell towers with drones, reducing risk for workers.
- Urban Planner – Incorporate drone data into city development, traffic control, and smart city planning.
- Disaster Response & Recovery Specialist – Use drones to assess damage after hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods.
- Power Line & Energy Inspector – Monitor wind farms, solar panels, and power grids for efficiency and safety.
⚕️ Medical & Emergency Response Careers
- Drone Medic / Emergency Responder – Deliver medical supplies or AEDs in remote areas.
- Search & Rescue Technician – Locate missing persons using thermal imaging drones.
- Firefighter (Aerial Reconnaissance) – Use drones to analyze fire movement, hotspots, and escape routes.
💰 Business, Law, & Security Careers
- Drone Policy & Aviation Law Expert – Regulate drone use, ensuring safety and privacy.
- Cybersecurity Specialist (Drone Security) – Protect drones from hacking and unauthorized surveillance.
🚀 The Future is Wide Open!
Whether you’re interested in flight, engineering, conservation, filmmaking, or law, drones are transforming careers across industries. The next big innovation could be yours!
2. Watch the below video to learn how to program your drone for autonomous flight!
🚁 DroneBlocks Autonomous Flight Challenges
In this portion of the Tello Drone Workshop, you will use DroneBlocks to program your drones for fully autonomous flight.
📌 Starter Challenges:
- The Looped Square ➡️ Write a program that commands the drone to:
- Take off
- Flip
- Fly in a square pattern using a loop
- Flip again
- Land
- The Looped Rectangle ➡️ Modify the code to fly in a rectangle instead of a square, keeping flips at the start and end.
🚀 Next Level Challenges:
1️⃣ Obstacle Course Navigator 🏁
Mission:
- Program your drone to fly through a designated obstacle course, avoiding barriers while maintaining a steady path.
- Use altitude changes and precise turns to maneuver around objects.
- Bonus: Implement pauses and rotations to simulate a scanning or reconnaissance mission.
✅ Skills Practiced: Precision control, path planning, obstacle avoidance
2️⃣ Autonomous Delivery & Pickup 📦
Mission:
- Program your drone to fly to a drop-off location and hover for 3-5 seconds before returning to its starting position.
- Add a “pickup delay”, where the drone waits at the starting point before departing for delivery.
- If possible, attach a lightweight payload (small paperclip, LEGO figure, or mini flag) for added realism.
✅ Skills Practiced: Timed movement, delays, real-world drone applications
3️⃣ Drone Dance-Off 🕺
Mission:
- Choreograph your drone to perform a dance routine to music, using a combination of:
- Flips
- Yaw rotations
- Altitude changes
- Patterned movements (square, circle, zig-zag)
- The best choreographed “dance” wins!
✅ Skills Practiced: Creative programming, movement sequencing, teamwork
4️⃣ Mars Rover Airdrop 🚀
Mission:
- Your drone is delivering supplies to a Mars colony!
- Program the drone to fly from Earth (starting point) to Mars (target zone), pause for 5 seconds, and return.
- Bonus: If a landing pad (hoop, circle, or designated zone) is provided, land precisely inside it!
✅ Skills Practiced: Accuracy, controlled landings, simulation of real-world drone missions
5️⃣ Spy Drone Challenge 🕵️
Mission:
- Your drone is a stealth spy bot! Program it to:
- Take off and fly to a designated “target”
- Rotate 360° to “scan the area”
- Return to home base without detection (must use smooth, minimal movements)
✅ Skills Practiced: Yaw control, mission-based programming, stealth maneuvers
🌟 Bonus Challenge: Air Traffic Control Coordination ✈️
- Coordinate flight plans
- You must sequence and time your flight missions carefully!
✅ Skills Practiced: Coordination, collaborative problem-solving, air traffic planning
🏆 Competition Ideas & Scoring (Optional)
- Best Accuracy: Closest to landing target 🎯
- Most Creative Routine: Funniest or best-choreographed flight 🤖🎶
- Fastest Obstacle Course Time ⏳🏁
- Smoothest Autonomous Flight: No sudden movements or errors!you
Step 4: Share
Reflect on the drone challenges above and choose the one your enjoyed the most. Record a recreation of the challenge and and upload your video below. Type your first name in the “Subject” area. In the “Write something…” area, describe your flight method (RC, pre-program, etc.) A QR code is provided below for ease of upload.
🚁 DroneBlocks Challenge Scorecard
🏁 Obstacle Course Navigator
| Task | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| Successfully navigates through all obstacles (+5) | |
| Avoids all obstacles without touching (+3) | |
| Completes the course within the time limit (+2) | |
| Total Obstacle Course Points | ____ |
📦 Autonomous Delivery & Pickup
| Task | Points Earned |
| Reaches delivery location accurately (+5) | |
| Pauses correctly at drop-off (+3) | |
| Returns to start position without issues (+2) | |
| Successfully carries a small payload (+3) | |
| Total Delivery & Pickup Points | ____ |
🕺 Drone Dance-Off
| Task | Points Earned |
| Uses at least 3 unique movement commands (+5) | |
| Executes smooth transitions (+3) | |
| Creative and entertaining routine (+2) | |
| Total Dance-Off Points | ____ |
🚀 Mars Rover Airdrop
| Task | Points Earned |
| Flies to Mars target accurately (+5) | |
| Pauses correctly at target (+3) | |
| Returns to Earth base without issues (+2) | |
| Lands within a designated landing zone (+3) | |
| Total Mars Rover Airdrop Points | ____ |
🕵️ Spy Drone Challenge
| Task | Points Earned |
| Flies to target location without errors (+5) | |
| Rotates 360° to “scan the area” (+3) | |
| Returns to home base smoothly (+2) | |
| Uses minimal movements (stealth mode) (+3) | |
| Total Spy Drone Challenge Points | ____ |
🏆 Bonus Challenge: Air Traffic Control
| Task | Points Earned |
| Coordinates flight plan without collisions (+5) | |
| Completes mission in correct sequence (+3) | |
| Adjusts timing to avoid interference (+2) | |
| Total Air Traffic Control Points | ____ |
🏅 Final Score
Total Score (All Challenges Combined): __________
🏆 Award Considerations
✅ Best Overall Performance (Highest Score)
✅ Best Flight Accuracy
✅ Most Creative Programming
✅ Fastest Obstacle Completion
✅ Best Team Coordination
Troubleshooting Steps
Please follow these steps if you are struggling to get your drones to work:
- Remove and reinsert the battery.
- First time flying? Connect to the Tello App to register and unlock the drone.
- Using a phone? Turn off the data and place your phone in airplane mode.
- Close all apps, then reopen and reconnect to the drone
- Move to a larger location.
- Make sure you are not near an air vent or it is not too windy outside.
- Update firmware on the Tello App. Use this link to watch a video on how to update the firmware.
- Use this link to view the Tello Manual.
Troubleshooting Videos and More
Battery Troubleshooting
Propeller Troubleshooting
Environmental Troubleshooting
Tello App Troubleshooting
Drone Blocks App Troubleshooting