The drones are coming: SCSU partners with new National Center for Autonomous Technology
A buzzing noise reverberated around Selke Field in St. Cloud on Tuesday afternoon.
The culprit? Drones flying hundreds of feet in the air, the sound of their spinning propellers audible from the ground.
Despite the sizzling summer weather, around a dozen people eagerly took turns flying the aircraft using a handheld remote with two joysticks and a small screen. Others watched from lawn chairs, their eyes darting back and forth as the whizzing machines zipped across the sky.
The group was gathered for the DroneTECH Educators Workshop, a three-day program for high school and college instructors to learn about unmanned aircraft systems and geospatial technologies.
The program, which was hosted at St. Cloud State University, will join the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), a new hub for autonomous technology at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.
After receiving a $7 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Northland is partnering with SCSU and four other agencies to form the center, which will focus on educating instructors, promoting student involvement, engaging the workforce and serving as a region hub for autonomous technology.
The NCAT will join the NSF’s large circle of Advanced Technological Education Centers throughout the country. The new center will look at autonomous technologies on land, sea and air — the last of which was on full display on Tuesday.
As drones lifted up from circular landing pads, SCSU professor Ben Richason said the workshop provided a hands-on opportunity for educators to learn about unmanned technology and how it can be applied in the classroom or for research projects.
“[It’s] another tool in research and exploring different possibilities,” said Richason, who researches geography and planning.
The practical application of unmanned drones is almost endless. For example, Richason said they can help farmers survey fields from above, assist law enforcement with search and rescue missions, or be used to inspect bridges and buildings.
Though the drones are expensive — they can range from $1,800 to $15,000, depending on features and additions — they’re still more efficient than getting spatial data from a plane flyover.
However, with more and more uses for drones in the workforce and classroom alike, there’s a need for people who know how to use new technology.
That’s where the National Center for Autonomous Technologies comes in. The center will provide much-needed training and technical instruction, said principal investigator Jonathan Beck, who is Northland’s unmanned aircraft systems program manager.
Training is especially important for the energy field of automated vehicles. In two years, 60% of all new vehicles will have autonomous technology components, according to the Minnesota State Transportation Center for Excellence, one of the partnering agencies.
“Advanced vehicle technology is here. The NCAT will create the infrastructure to develop skilled technicians who will build the workforce of today and tomorrow to meet industry demands,” explains Christopher Hadfield, director of the Minnesota State Transportation Center for Excellence.
But for many, including Chris Rohlfing, a drone contractor with Northland, the drones are just plain and simple fun.
“I’m glad I got into drones because they are a heck of a lot of fun,” he said.
SCSU geography professor Jeffrey Torguson agreed: “They're like playing a video game.”