[photo credit: CALTECH]
Alejandro Stefan-Zavala, a graduate student in aerospace engineering at the California Institute of Technology, will present “Flight School for Robots” on Saturday, November 8 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Beckman Auditorium, 332 S. Michigan Ave., in Pasadena.
Interactive pre-show activities begin at 10 a.m., with the main presentation running from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Science Journeys Saturday event will feature live drone demonstrations illustrating aeronautics principles and robotic flight control. Stefan-Zavala, who works under Professor Mory Gharib, uses a “wall of small fans” in laboratory experiments to create controlled wind turbulence for testing drone performance in extreme conditions.
“I have been driven by science since elementary school when I learned that with a few cheap tools and simple scientific concepts, I could build little robots in my backyard,” Stefan-Zavala said.
His research has practical applications for dangerous or remote environments. “[Robotic flight] allows us to send drones to places where we can’t go, such as fires, volcanoes, remote islands, and other planets,” he said.
The event is designed for families and audiences of all ages, with no prior science knowledge required. Admission is free to the public, made possible by the Friends of Beckman Auditorium. Registration is available through the Caltech Events website, with a standby line available for non-registered guests.
“Flight School for Robots” will run on Saturday, November 8 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Beckman Auditorium, 332 S. Michigan Ave., in Pasadena. For more call (626) 395-2100 or visit https://events.caltech.edu/calendar/science-journeys-saturday-flight-school-for-robots. Tickets: Free.
