Drone Programming & AI Integration
Program Overview
This course trains students to:
- Understand drone hardware, electronics, and flight dynamics
- Program drones for autonomous navigation
- Use sensors, computer vision, and AI models to make drones “see, think, and act”
- Work with simulation tools before flying real hardware
- Build end-to-end projects like object-tracking drones, autonomous mapping drones, and AI-assisted inspection drones
It’s ideal for:
- Engineering / diploma students
- Tech enthusiasts
- Early professionals in robotics, mechatronics, ECE, CSE, AI/ML
- Duration:
- 240 Hours (One Year)
- Mode:
- Offline + Online + Projects (Hybrid Learning Model)
- Modules:
- 6 (Each of 40 Hours)
- Includes:
- Live Financial Tools • GST Compliance • Tally & Zoho Projects • Mentorship
- Future Opportunities For Students
- With India pushing “Drone Shakti” & PLI schemes, plus DGCA’s liberalized Drone Rules, opportunities are growing in:
Students can advance into:
- Drone service companies (survey, mapping, cinematography, agri-spraying)
- Agritech & precision farming firms using drones for crop monitoring & spraying
- Defence & security contractors (surveillance, border monitoring, situational awareness)
- Infrastructure & utilities (inspection of railways, power lines, pipelines, telecom towers)
- Smart city projects, mining, environment monitoring, disaster management
- Startups building drone platforms, autopilot systems, or AI-analytics pipelines
- OEMs & system integrators (UAV hardware & software)
Typical roles after upskilling:
Drone Programmer / UAV Software Engineer
Drone AI / Computer Vision Engineer
Flight Control Engineer (Junior)
Drone Operations & Mission Planning Engineer
Robotics / Embedded Systems Developer (with UAV focus)
Technical Specialist in drone service companies
Technology Trends In Ui/Ux Design
- BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone operations for logistics, agriculture, and infrastructure inspection
- Growth of drone-as-a-service providers for surveillance, delivery, inspection, and mapping
- Design for AR/VR, smart devices, wearables
- Integration of AI + drones for : Precision agriculture (crop health, yield prediction)
- Integration of AI + drones for : Smart cities (traffic, crowd monitoring, disaster response)
- Integration of AI + drones for : Industrial inspection (solar farms, transmission lines, oil & gas)
- Use of digital twins & simulation for training and mission planning
- Increasing adoption of edge AI (running models on-board instead of cloud)
Expected Salary Range
Freshers:
: ₹3 LPA – ₹6 LPA
Skilled operators:
: ₹6 LPA – ₹12 LPA
Senior specialists:
: ₹12 LPA – ₹25 LPA+
Modules Covered
Foundations of Drones & Embedded Systems (40 Hours)
- TOOLS
- Raspberry Pi
- Arduino (overview)
- Mission Planner / QGroundControl
- Linux Terminal
- PX4/Ardupilot (concept level)
- Outcomes
- Understand drone components & flight principles
- Learn embedded hardware fundamentals
- Understand how companion computers work
- Gain basic regulatory awareness
- CAREER ROLES
- UAV Technician
- Drone R&D Assistant
- Junior Embedded Systems Trainee
- Drone Lab Assistant
Mini Project
Create a “Drone System Block Diagram” & describe data flow.
Simple presentation on a real-world drone application.
Programming Fundamentals for Drone Control (40 Hours)
- TOOLS
- Python
- DroneKit / MAVSDK
- SITL Simulation
- Mission Planner Telemetry
- Outcomes
- Write code to automate drone missions
- Understand API-based drone control
- Simulate flight missions using SITL
- Build basic telemetry dashboards
- CAREER ROLES
- Drone Programmer (Junior)
- UAV Software Engineer (Entry Level)
- Robotics Programmer
- Flight Automation Assistant
Mini Project
Mission Automation”: Code a simple square or polygonal path in simulation & log telemetry.
Sensors, Perception & Computer Vision for Drones (40 Hours)
- TOOLS
- OpenCV
- Python (NumPy, Matplotlib)
- Camera sensors
- Sample drone video datasets
- LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Work with camera input streams
- Detect objects & track movements
- Understand sensor fusion basics
- Build simple perception pipelines
- CAREER ROLES
- Computer Vision Intern
- Perception Pipeline Assistant
- Drone Vision Technician
- AI Data Annotation Specialist
Mini Project
Build a “Virtual Object Tracker” using OpenCV & pre-recorded drone-like video.
AI for Autonomous Drone Decision-Making (40 Hours)
- TOOLS
- TensorFlow / PyTorch
- YOLO / SSD (pre-trained)
- NVIDIA Jetson (awareness + integration architecture)
- LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Apply pre-trained AI models on drone data
- Build object detection pipelines
- Understand edge-AI deployment workflow
- CAREER ROLES
- AI Vision Technician
- Drone AI Integration Assistant
- Junior ML Engineer (Edge Deployment)
Mini Project
“AI-Assisted Alert System”: Detect specific objects (e.g., people/vehicles) in overhead footage and trigger a log/alert.
Autonomous Navigation, Mapping & Mission Planning (40 Hours)
- TOOLS
- QGroundControl
- Mission Planner
- SITL with Waypoints
- Python Navigation Scripts
- LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Build autonomous waypoint missions
- Execute mapping routes using simulation
- Understand GIS concepts (beginner)
- CAREER ROLES
- Autonomous Drone Operator
- Drone Navigation Specialist
- Survey Mission Programmer
Mini Project
“Virtual Survey Mission”: Simulated coverage of a rectangular field + generation of a simple path visualization.
Capstone Projects, Compliance & Industry Readiness (40 Hours)
- TOOLS
- Github
- Project documentation templates
- DGCA-compliant logbook templates
- Outcomes
- Create complete drone-AI projects
- Understand regulatory compliance concepts
- Build a portfolio & present capstone
- CAREER ROLES
- UAV Developer
- Robotics Project Intern
- Drone AI Generalist
- UAV Solutions Engineer (Trainee)
Mini Project
Complete Portfolio Launch.
Program Objectives
- Equip learners with the ability to program autonomous drone behaviors.
- Build core competencies in AI-powered perception systems for drones.
- Develop the capacity to utilize drone simulation tools for safe testing.
- Enable learners to integrate onboard hardware with AI workflows.
- Prepare students for industry roles through hands-on projects and compliance awareness.