Though it never left the ground, a helicopter donated by the engineering firm Northrop Grumman caused a bit of a spectacle on campus yesterday.
About 100 engineering students and faculty came to the engineering plaza to see the unveiling of the $200,000 piece of equipment.
The helicopter is currently unmanned, or remote-operated, but it has the capability to be autonomous, which means it could function independently on missions, according to Poly aerospace engineering professor Rob McDonald. He said he hopes numerous engineering disciplines will take part in the project including aerospace, mechanical and electrical and computer science as part of senior and master’s projects.
Computer and electrical engineering professor Lynne Slivovsky wants to enable the helicopter to perform search and rescue missions in the mountains for lost hikers using video telepresence or virtual reality software.
The helicopter was originally used as a test helicopter. “We used it in risk reduction, to fly different payloads as a test bed for the Fire Scout,” said Northrop Grumman engineering technician Victor Siebold. The MQ-8 Fire Scout is an unmanned autonomous helicopter developed by Northrup Grumman and currently used by the U.S. armed forces.
By donating this helicopter, one of three donated to California universities, Northrup Grumman continues its relationship with Cal Poly, which includes serving on the Engineering Advisory board and providing grants and scholarships for research and hiring many Poly alumni.
When asked why Northrop Grumman recruits Cal Poly students, Vice President of Engineering Logistics and Technology for its Air Combat Systems business area Frank Flores said it comes down to the campus philosophy.
“San Luis Obispo students come ready to work,” he said. “They’ve had so much hands-on experience already and are really well-prepared right out of school.”
Though plans to turn the helicopter autonomous are in the works, Flores said the possibilities to develop this helicopter are “only limited by imagination and possibly the courage of the engineers.”