Success of High Flyers in Droniada!
First place in the "Tree of Life" competition and second place in the "Relay Race" - students of the Silesian University of Technology from the High Flyers Science Club ended their participation in the jubilee edition - 10th Droniada with such great results.
Droniada Challenge by Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation is a technological competition, one of the most difficult in the world, combining IT, mechatronics and robotics with aviation. This year's edition was held on June 1-4 at Pola Marsowe Park Śląski and at the Muchowiec airport in Katowice. Eleven academic and open teams joined the competition. There was one obligatory competition waiting for them - in addition, they could choose to participate in the next one out of five competitions. The total prize pool this year was 42,000 PLN.
- Droniada is to present the technological possibilities of industry 4.0, with particular emphasis on drones, robotics, ICT, geoinformation, information analysis systems, electronics and aviation - explains Sławomir Kosieliński, president of the Mikromakro Institute Foundation and originator of Droniada. - Task scenarios are based on real-life situations where drones can provide real support to people.
High Flyers are veterans of Droniada. They have been in it since the beginning - since 2014. Just like last year, students took part in three competitions: the obligatory "System Demo", "Relay Race" and "Tree of Life". Our team repeated the success of 2021 and won the "Tree of Life" again, although this year's competition was not without obstacles.
- In this competition, using a drone, in an autonomous way using artificial intelligence, it was necessary to detect stimulated plant diseases and apply protective measures to them - explains Marcel Król, president of the High Flyers scientific association.
- This year, the team tested a new solution for the on-board computer, which was changed to a more efficient one, and unfortunately it crashed before the start - says Dr hab.Eng Roman Czyba, prof. SUT. - However, other teams also had problems and we managed to negotiate that everyone would start again the next day. So, the players came to the laboratory in Gliwice and worked all night to return to the previous version.
- We haven't seen other teams' attempts, but we heard that they did very well, which is why we are very positively surprised by our win, it's a great satisfaction - adds Marcel Król.
The team had similar adventures in the "Relay" (High Flyers won last year), which was played at night at Katowice's Muchowiec airport. In this competition, the task of the teams was to mark a line of light up to 400 meters long, using drones to drop glowing beacons, i.e., small capsules with light diodes, from a great height.
High Flyers again met the requirements - they passed the eliminations and as one of the three teams qualified for the finals, finally taking second place. By earning the required number of points, they cashed a prize of PLN 3,500.
- The Silesian University of Technology has been participating in these competitions for some time with success and does not disappoint - said prof. dr hab. Eng. Bogusław Łazarz , Vice-Rector for General Affairs of the Silesian University of Technology. - Students and tutors try to keep up with the best and beat them. I think that this type of competition and activity is the future when it comes to working in scientific clubs. This makes education more attractive and this is the path I want to follow Silesian University of Technology.
On June 4, the day the results were announced, Droniada Expo & Kids by Metropolia GZM was also held at Pola Marsowe.
- On that day, children and everyone interested could see drones, fly them, see shows, take part in competitions and talk to representatives of companies and universities, among which, of course, was the Silesian University of Technology, which was a co-organizer of Droniada - says Dr hab.Eng. Roman Czyba, prof. SUT.
