Skydio For All

Making the world more productive, creative, and safe with autonomous flight

By Gwen Mathis, AMA Education Development Coordinator [email protected] | Photos courtesy of Skydio

As seen in the January 2024 issue of Model Aviation.

Skydio, a leading US drone manufacturer and a world leader in autonomous flight, got its start in 2009 when founders Abraham Bachrach, Adam Bry, and Matt Donahoe met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After working to pioneer autonomous drone technology and starting Google’s Project Wing, they went on to found Skydio in 2014.

Since then, Skydio has worked to create some of the world’s most intelligent flying machines. The leaders and staff at Skydio are composed of experts in AI, robotics, cameras, and electric vehicles. These dedicated professionals come from top universities, research labs, and companies worldwide.

The wildlife foundation rangers, Kenya Flying Labs team, and the Skydio team were able to utilize Skydio 2+ Pro Kits to improve wildlife counting using the drone’s artificial intelligence.

Skydio’s mission is to make the world more productive, creative, and safe with autonomous flight. Skydio CEO Adam Bry believes that the company has a responsibility to help revolutionize the drone field. "We believe companies have a role to play, alongside governments, customers, and the communities they serve, in shaping how new technology is deployed and the impact that it has."

A wildlife foundation ranger operates a Skydio drone to aid in wildlife conservation efforts.

03-04. After Changu Narayan Temple (L) was damaged by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, Nepal Flying Labs was able to utilize Skydio 3D scans (R) to create high-resolution images, video clips, and a 3D model for documentation and future reconstruction.

Skydio is uniquely positioned to develop and work with amazing technology that allows the organization to make advancements in the vast world of drones. However, the company is fully aware that not every community has equal access to fast-changing, modern technology. To support communities in need, some of its employees began to develop a new initiative to create change: Skydio For All.

Skydio For All

Skydio For All is an initiative that stems from a simple ambition: a drive to create change. The team responsible for developing the foundation for Skydio For All did so following multiple brainstorming sessions and conversations about how the company’s products and core competencies could best support communities in need. Skydio For All is shaped by Skydio’s core values of accountability, transparency, and the protection of privacy and civil liberties. The initiative seeks to impact and benefit future generations, leading by example and inspiring others.

"Skydio is democratizing access to cutting-edge aerospace and we see a great opportunity for continued education in communities that may otherwise not be exposed to this technology," Adam wrote in a letter from the CEO. "Through our Skydio For All program, we aspire to build trust and awareness through community outreach, STEM education, supporting veterans, and further product development in areas like wildlife research and historical preservation. We strive to nurture a lasting impact for future generations and are committed to furthering our investment in programs that enrich the world around us."

Skydio For All’s mission statement is as follows:

"Skydio For All engages with local and global communities on youth STEM education, cultural and historical preservation, and wildlife conservation. We aim to bring awareness and resources promoting accessibility, education, and inclusion within Skydio, the greater tech community, and our local community to nuture a lasting positive impact for future generations."

Areas of Impact: Youth STEM Education

Because one of Skydio For All’s goals is to inspire others and build awareness through STEM education, a wonderful place to start is wth youth. After all, young people are learning their way around the world and discovering what they are interested in. What better way to influence youth to enter the STEM field as engineers, pilots, creators, and problem-solvers than introducing them to STEM through engaging, hands-on projects and experiences? Skydio For All focuses on nonprofit and educational programs that operate within underserved communities.

Skydio For All engages young students by teaching them responsible drone use, creating memorable and hands-on experiences, increasing accessibility by providing technology to nonprofits and educators, building confidence and STEM capabilities within all involved students, and allowing them to realize their full potential.

Skydio has provided many flying and hands-on experiences to youth throughout the years. A great example of Skydio For All’s youth STEM education efforts is Youth Fly Day. In May 2022 and May 2023, students from ICA Cristo Rey All Girls Academy in San Francisco gathered at Skydio for a full day of education and hands-on experiences with drones. They learned how and why drones are used in the modern day, how to build drones, and how drones pilot themselves. After having in-depth conversations and demonstrations about these topics, students were given the chance to fly. They also got to listen to a career panel of the women at Skydio. A majority of students who attended Youth Fly Day expressed either a new or increased interest in aviation careers thanks to their experiences with Skydio.

Skydio For All also encourages youth STEM education through the sponsorship of AMA’s UAS4STEM competition. Skydio is the headline sponsor for UAS4STEM and offers support to youth competitors in more ways than one might imagine. Its support allows AMA to lower team registration costs, enables staff to travel to the international competition at EAA’s AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and offers assistance when competitors or teams experience any unexpected issues throughout the competition. Skydio also sends a delegation to support the UAS4STEM event through judging and mentoring the student competitors. If you ask the teens, they’ll tell you that the best part of Skydio’s assistance is the pizza party that AMA provides the night before the international competition starts! If you are unfamiliar with the UAS4STEM competition, you can learn more about it in AMA’s UAS4STEM blog, listed in "Sources."

If you are interested in youth STEM education, you can also check out the educational resources that we offer here at AMA. Many of our resources, such as Quick Projects and hands-on aviation curriculum, are free and can be accessed through the AMA Flight School website. If you’re interested in bringing drones into your educational setting, you can explore lesson plans. You and your students will be flying drones in no time!

If you’re interested in drones but don’t know how to get started, you can explore our free-to-access Know Before You Fly (KBYF) curriculum. After purchasing a Student Drone Kit and following along with our in-depth lesson plans, you’ll quickly be flying your own drone!

Cultural and Historical Preservation

Cultural and historical preservations are vital to ensure that we stay connected to our past; however, culturally historic sites can disappear in an instant, whether through natural disasters or man-made events. Because of the threat of these sites vanishing, it is imperative to conserve them through digital documentation in the event that they are destroyed or become inaccessible. Skydio For All has pledged some of its resources to assist with this endeavor. One example of its success is the Changu Narayan Temple in Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.

In April 2015, more than 6,000 structures were damaged in Kathmandu following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake. People were unable to start the reconstruction of the damaged heritage sites because of a lack of both resources and and detailed scans. In 2021, Skydio and WeRobotics partnered in an effort to provide resources and support to Flying Labs around the globe as a microgrant. Nepal Flying Labs was selected.

Skydio provides ongoing support to veterans who have bravely protected our country.

E5 Combat Engineer, Sgt. Richard Hursh of the Army National Guard, received a Veteran Vehicle Scholarship in 2021. Skydio partnered with Wounded Eagle UAS and Semper Fi & America’s Fund to provide veterans with an opportunity to take on a new path in their professional lives at their own pace.

Its project was to create a digital twin by mapping Changu Narayan Temple, a temple dating back to the 5th century that experienced serious damage during the aforementioned earthquake. Utilizing donated Skydio 2+ Pro Kits and Skydio 3D Scan, Nepal Flying Labs was able to create a 3D model of the temple. The model can be used in the future to assess any damage or deterioration. This mapping process provided useful insight into how to approach the conservation of historical and cultural sites in the future.

Wildlife Conservation

As technology advances, so do many practices and fields. The field of wildlife conservation is no exception. A big challenge in wildlife conservation is collecting data without causing harm to the wildlife, the ecosystem, or the individual(s) involved in the process. Skydio For All seeks to aid conservationists through the initial stages of observation projects by sending drones and Skydio employees to ensure that the drones are integrated smoothly into conservation field work. Skydio, partnering with Kenya Flying Labs, donated two Skydio 2+ Pro Kits to improve wildlife counting using AI and robotics.

Community: Veteran Support

It should be no surprise that the veterans who bravely protect our country play an important role in America’s workforce. However, many veterans who 06 undergo ongoing medical treatment are unable to work in traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. settings because of discomfort and personal difficulties, so Skydio partnered with Sempre Fi & America’s Fund and Wounded Eagle UAS to create a Veteran Vehicle Scholarship. This scholarship gives veterans a chance to win a Skydio 2+ Pro Kit to explore new life paths, such as starting their own business, growing their current careers, and improving their lives in general. Any veterans who are interested in this scholarship are invited to apply online.

Many of our own members are veterans. AMA would like to take this time to thank you for your service and encourage you to apply for this scholarship, even if you have little to no experience with drones. If you have only ever flown model airplanes or jets, this scholarship is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to a new way of flying, paths, and experiences.

Conclusion

Skydio For All is a wonderful initiative that seeks to introduce the world of technology and drones into underserved communities. Although STEM education in underserved communities is at the heart of the initiative, Skydio For All also offers support to wildlife conservation, the preservation of cultural and heritage sites, and veteran support.

Even with fluctuations in year-to-year growth because of global events such as the COVID pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, Skydio For All has had a massive impact. According to the Skydio For All Annual Report 2022, the company has donated hundreds of drones, supported 35 nonprofits, and invested approximately $824,000 into programs. Skydio For All also discovered new ways to use its own products while teaming up with wildlife preservation teams in Kenya. It is clear that both Skydio and its Skydio For All initiative have made clear advancements in their goals throughout the years and will continue to do so.

07-08. Skydio For All utilizes handson experiences to encourage students to realize their full potential.

Thanks to our experts, with so many technological advancements in the drone field it’s no wonder that there are so many more opportunities to get involved in the aviation field now. If you are passionate about STEM and would like to learn more about careers in aviation, you can go to the AMA Career Center to see whether there are any openings in aviation careers that might interest you. You can read up on career advice through the career planning portal, improve your résumé with a free review, and narrow down your career search to make sure you find the perfect fit!

If you are an educator, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), or part of an organization where you feel that Skydio’s products can provide a positive impact to your community, apply to be a part of Skydio For All on its website or by emailing the address listed in "Sources." If you are an AMA club, or even if you have your own private group that’s not associated with AMA, we highly encourage you to apply to see whether you can benefit from the Skydio For All initiative.