School of Mines students prepare for drone competition

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/despite-its-military-image-the-drone-is-becoming-a-hobby/article_48962197-cba9-5fec-b1d6-4c03352a3c2e.html

"About 20 Mines students are building from scratch a drone that can fly autonomously, detect certain objects on the ground and transmit images in real time.

The creators, all undergraduate members of the school’s Unmanned Aerial Systems club, are putting together the machine to compete in an international student competition in June in Maryland.

The students, including engineering, physics and computer science majors, have been working on the six-rotor, 5-pound drone on their own time for a year. Some of the students have gotten so attached to their creation, club President Marcus Weibe said, that they’ve decided to call it Herbert.

Besides performing in competitions, Herbert can someday also help with search-and-rescue operations, as well as monitoring forest fires, said Dan Dolan, a Mines professor of mechanical engineering who started the club in 2004."

I was on campus one day and watched their drone follow a red balloon around.