Muscat: Sultan Qaboos University on Wednesday launched the phase of testing drone flying skills for students contesting in Oman AI-Enhanced Drones Flying Competition, following a training programme.
A programme training the 3rd group of students for the competition is implemented by SQU in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and Ooredoo Oman.
The testing stage comprises three levels: a virtual flight level using a computer simulation programme, a flight demo inside the laboratory and a flight practice in open space outside the laboratory.
The flight mechanism is carried out using manual remote control and automatic controller devices.
The pilot programme of Oman Competition for AI-Enhanced Drones this year targets 120 trainees. In July 2023, the programme received a first batch of 60 students who underwent an intensive two-week training that included a mixture of theoretical and practical sessions.
The programme, which comes under the National Initiative to Qualify Digital Competencies (Makeen), will include workshops and training courses to develop and refine skills of participants.
The best performing participants will also qualify for the annual competition that will be held in February 2024 at Sultan Qaboos University.
The programme targets students of colleges and universities who are looking to acquire new technical skills – particularly in the field of drones – that will enable them to actively participate in implementing technical solutions and contribute to building the national economy. It also aims to prepare and support the winning participants to compete in regional and international competitions.
The training programme combines theory and practice with a greater emphasis on practical aspects. The selected students will be divided into six batches, each batch consisting of 20 participants. Each batch will undergo a training programme consisting of four training modules. The candidate must have knowledge of programming, and knowledge of Python language is preferred.
The participant must be committed to completing the programme within the specified period, and in the event of unjustified withdrawal, the participant will be excluded from any future programmes offered by the Makeen Initiative or Sultan Qaboos University.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
