Okla. — The future of drone technology is taking flight in Tulsa this week, with hundreds of students from around the world putting their skills, and their aircraft, to the test
The Student Unmanned Aerial Systems Competition is being held at Skyway Range for the first time after spending about two decades in Maryland.
RoboNation, which organizes the competition, says about 60 teams are on site, representing 10 countries and about 30 universities and high-performing high schools in the U.S.
For Tulsa, bringing the competition here is about more than hosting a major event. Local leaders see it as an opportunity to introduce the next generation of drone and autonomous technology workers to the region.
“This is our first year in Tulsa, Oklahoma,” said Alicia Gavin with RoboNation. “The industry focus and the excitement about aerial systems and robotics and technology has just really meant landing here as a home is so perfect for us.”
The competition began with 84 registered teams. Students spent the year preparing by submitting technical design reports, building websites and creating videos to demonstrate their work before arriving in Tulsa to fly.
Once at Skyway Range, the students put their aircraft through real-world-style missions.
This year’s theme focuses on storm response — an especially relevant scenario in Oklahoma, where severe weather can create dangerous conditions for people on the ground.
Gavin says the goal is to show students how autonomous technology can be used for jobs that may be dangerous for humans, including emergency response and search and rescue.
“We’d rather lose a robot any day of the week than have a human that gets injured or worse,” Gavin said.
The competition also gives students experience they can take directly into the workforce.
Gavin describes RoboNation as a place where “theory meets practice,” giving students a chance to build, test, make mistakes and solve problems in real-world situations.
That includes more than the technology itself.
Students have to work together, communicate, troubleshoot and make decisions on the fly.
“They’re ready for that entry-level job,” Gavin said.
Tulsa Innovation Labs says that hands-on experience is one reason bringing events like this to the region is important.
“Tulsa Innovation Labs is working to build the environment where budding industries like the drone industry specifically, can grow and thrive right here in the Tulsa region,” said Tori Burris.
Burris says Tulsa’s existing aerospace and manufacturing industries, along with local educational institutions and testing facilities, are helping create an environment where the drone industry can grow.
She says the competition also gives students a chance to see those opportunities firsthand.
“These are the future industry leaders of the drone and autonomous systems industry,” Burris said.
Skyway Range, operated by Osage LLC, is part of that growing ecosystem.
Randall Burke with Osage LLC says the range developed through a partnership involving Osage LLC, Tulsa Innovation Labs and Oklahoma State University.
The goal was to create a place where companies could test unmanned aircraft technology, particularly as the industry moves toward more operations beyond the operator’s direct line of sight.
Burke says the region could eventually become more than a place to test drones.
He hopes companies will eventually come to Oklahoma to manufacture and build them here.
“Come here and make a home here,” Burke said.
And the students competing this week could be part of that future.
Gavin says the competition gives students the chance to meet others from around the world, build relationships and see career possibilities they may not have encountered at home.
Some students competing are in high school, while most are university or graduate students.
About 400 to 500 students are expected to be involved in the event, with teams representing countries including Australia, Thailand, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Poland.
For some students, those connections can continue long after the competition ends.
“We’ve had students at our various programs that will go to a university because of a student they met when they were a high school student competing at another event,” Gavin said.
Burris says she hopes more competitions, companies and manufacturing operations will come to the Tulsa region as the industry develops.
And she believes the students visiting now could eventually become part of that growth.
“In five and ten years down the road, we hope that there’s three times as many students,” Burris said. “We hope that this looks entirely different in the best way, because industry has had the chance to grow and mature here.”
For the students flying this week, the competition is ultimately about putting what they’ve learned into practice — and seeing what their technology can do.
But for Tulsa, it’s also a chance to show the people building that technology what opportunities could be waiting for them here.
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