Well, this week was different. No more brainstorming, no more planning and theorizing–we took those drones for a test run…or test flight if you’re picky! Last week really helped to reinvigorate our team, helping us feel a range of emotions from excitement to relief and even terror with a dash of responsibility.
The excitement felt by all of us is probably best summed up by Chris, one of our industrial designers. He said, “It was awesome. It felt great to finally have a little more hands on experience. Not everyone can say ‘I flew a quad-copter in class today.’” We definitely were able to one-up our friends! After weeks of preparation, actually getting to see them in action gave us a greater sense of the project’s potential.
From the more operational aspect of the project, Landes, one of the physics students who built these drones, was just relieved that the drone still worked and didn’t have any problems after such a long period of not being flown.
But the reality of this project is that it is a new and unknown area of academic exploration for many of our group. Industrial Designer Sean was honest in his reactions: “It was terrifying. Just a big step up from the toys we messed around with.” And he’s right. We began working with a powerful piece of machinery that has huge potential. With the knowledge that these drones are cool, functional, and powerful, we can press on with more vigor and respect for our project all while remembering that with great power, comes great…oh, you know how it goes.
By Becky Rosen, movie by Alexia Constanza