The language used to control drones can be Swift, Python, Javascript or Blockly. Since Blockly is a good platform to understand programming logic we started with that. We used the iPad app Tello EDU to create the code that controlled the drone.

The first app created to control the drone was what we called "Hello Drone"!  The code blocks used launched the drone, went up 100 cm, make a 360 degree turn, them finally land.

Every club member completed the app and successfully launched the Hello app.

Drone Skills in High Demand

Jobs in Drone technology are on the increase. This semester the Girls Who Code club will learn how to control drones with code. Drones are used in the following areas:

• First responder assessment
• Real estate photography
• Aerial photography for journalism and film
• Express shipping and delivery
• Gathering information or supplying essentials for disaster management
• Thermal sensor drones for search and rescue operations
• Geographic mapping of inaccessible terrain and locations
• Building safety inspections
• Precision crop monitoring
• Unmanned cargo transport
• Law enforcement and border control surveillance
• Storm tracking and forecasting hurricanes and tornadoes

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Tello EDU Drone
The Tello EDU drone teaches coding in Scratch, Swift and Python. Students can even program a “swarm” of Tellos if you choose (see video above). In addition to being able to program a single Tello or a swarm of Tellos, the drones come with new Mission Pads. These are unique guiding points that can trigger the Tello to respond how you want. You simply program the Tello EDU to respond when it flies over the Mission Pad.

for more information of Tello Edu Drones see https://www.ryzerobotics.com/tello-edu 

The Girls Who Code club focuses on learning different programming languages. We focus on language basics & the deployment process. Web apps and phone apps are the two categories we have focused on thus far.

This semester we are focusing on how code can control Drones, Robots, and Internet of Things Devices!