Thanks to Raytheon, UTA to host third annual drone competition
Students will take to the air in the third annual Raytheon Technologies Drone Showcase competition on Saturday, April 15, at Maverick Stadium on The University of Texas at Arlington campus.
During the competition, student-built drones will use camera and infrared-based sensors to disable other school’s ground vehicles while protecting their own unmanned ground vehicles.
Student competitors are coming from universities as far away as Mississippi.
“This is a capstone design competition, sponsored by Raytheon Technologies, with students from eight universities participating,” said David Wetz, professor of electrical engineering. “Student teams solve real-world challenges by researching, designing, developing, integrating and testing unmanned aerial systems’ hardware and software components.”
UTA’s student teams include:
• Carlos Manuel Mella-Rijo, Nicholas Edward Partlow, Stefan Jay Faulding, Andrew Riel and James Anthony Wallace from the Department of Electrical Engineering;
• Madelynn Margaret Wimmer, Ethan Quarles, Jaelyn Ort, Vishnu Perincheery, Bhawika Kandel and Juan Camilo Buritica Yate from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and
• Ja’Lun Jerome Morris, Jaedyn Kaleb Brown, Robert Loyd Carr, Javier Lopez and Pearl Osarumwense Iyayi from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
“Events like the Raytheon Technologies Drone Showcase help develop the next generation of engineering talent by pairing students with industry mentors and offering opportunities for undergraduates to put into practice what they have been learning in the classroom,” said Willy Schweikert, vice president of engineering and technical director at Raytheon Intelligence & Space. “Over the past three years, my organization has worked closely with UTA to pair students with Raytheon Technologies mentors to help them prepare for the competition and for a rewarding career after graduation.”
Team lead Mella-Rijo said the exercise is fun and teaches him a lot about an up-and-coming technology.
“It’s a fun competition, but there’s a lot of learning going on as well. There are so many things that go into what drones do,” Mella-Rijo said. “And it is a technology that will only continue to be a part of our everyday lives. I hope to be part of creating that technology.”