What Students Learn

Students learn how drones are used to inspect bridges, buildings, and other structures for safety, especially after accidents or natural disasters. Through a real case study, they examine how engineers use the Engineering Design Process to detect structural changes and how functions in computer science help organize and reuse complex code. They also discuss why inspections matter and how drones improve safety and efficiency.

What Students Do

Students code Hopper to fly over and under a simulated bridge, stopping at three inspection points to record colors or numbers that represent structural features. After completing the initial inspection, an “earthquake” occurs, and students run their code again to identify changes. They use a custom function to simplify repeated hover‑and‑inspect movements, test and refine their code, and compare before‑and‑after results to determine whether the bridge has been damaged.