The aim of DRONE@SCHOOL project is twofold, on the one side, for teachers in order to accumulate experience about teaching robotics at High School adopting innovative methodologies in education and training based on FabLab and maker-based activities; on the other side, to motivate those students at the risk of drop-out. This school project initiative has been created by researchers and teachers, expert in technologies and in education, and has been supported by Public and Private bodies: High Schools, the FABLAB of Fano, the sportive club Drone Racing Fano, a company in the sector of robotics named TTP Technology, the bank Intesa San Paolo of Urbania and the public-private company ASET of Fano.
Let’s go into a lesson of the course step by step, in order to better understand the vocational, educational and training approach used…
I Phase – the expert illustrates the project-work: How to build a canopy for our personal drone
In this first phase the teacher expert describes the main activities in which the student should be focused on to achieve the ultimate objective. In this specific course fragment, the teacher explains that he will use a 3D printer with PLA filament to create the specific canopy.
II Phase – Take the measures and sketch out a draft on the paper
This phase is important to give to the student the reference with another technique to sketch out a drawing, not digital but using traditional instruments. Learning from the old approach to cope with the drawing, it helps the student to better understand the limits of it against the advantages of the CAD tools.
III Phase – Learn how to do it with a CAD system
Once the principal measures have been identified on the paper sketch, then the student start with the use of a Computer Aid Design system to deal with the 3D representation of the drone canopy.
IV Phase – Learn how to transform digital atoms in physical ones
At this point the expert teaches to the students how to use a 3D printer and how to generate an stl file compatible with the most used 3D printer software.
V Phase – Test the materialised object
Once the object has been created the student should test it, e.g. mounting it on the drone, and eventually he/she should identify little improvements to apply at the previous drawing before printing it again.
