The Faculty of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems is selecting 50 students for a series of hands-on workshops on autonomous drones and artificial intelligence. You learn how to control a drone autonomously, how to integrate sensors on it, and how to use artificial intelligence to make sense of its surroundings.
The workshops are part of the project "DronePRACTIC UPT: an integrated practice laboratory for drone engineering and aeronautical informatics", funded through the Institutional Development Fund.
What you will learn
Six practical sessions, each on one of the parts that make a drone fly on its own:
- autonomous control: how to program and steer a drone with no pilot
- sensor integration: how to connect and use sensors and perception components
- obstacle avoidance: how to use information about the environment so the drone detects and goes around what is in its way
- visual perception and artificial intelligence: how to process images so the drone understands where it is
Who runs them
The workshops are led by Dr. Eng. Timotei Lala, who has worked on autonomous drones with artificial intelligence at Amazon and on drone detection and identification at Dedrone by Axon.
Participants see practical applications of these technologies, drawn from experience building the autonomous systems used in industry.
The calendar
Six two-hour sessions, on Saturdays and Sundays, across three weekends:
- 31 October and 1 November 2026
- 7 and 8 November 2026
- 14 and 15 November 2026
Twelve hours in total.
How the selection works
The 50 places go to the highest scores:
Score = 0.4 x P1 + 0.4 x P2 + 0.2 x P3, out of a maximum of 10 points.
P1. Academic record, 40 per cent
Your mark in a computer science or programming course taken during your university studies. If you have no such mark, the one from the mathematics, physics or computer science paper of your baccalaureate is used instead.
You state in the form which subject and mark you are using, and attach supporting evidence.
P2. Letter of intent and motivation, 40 per cent
The mark the committee gives your letter, from 0 to 10. In it you set out why drones and artificial intelligence interest you, why you want to take part, what you mean to learn, and how you intend to use it afterwards.
P3. Taking part in a robotics club, 20 per cent
Proven by a certificate: 10 points with one, 0 points without. It is not a condition of entry, only a scoring criterion.
Applying and results
- applications: 19 to 24 October 2026, inclusive
- selection results: 25 October 2026
Apply by 24 October and get your hands on an autonomous drone.
