老司机直播

#UofTGrad17: Drone brings new panoramic views on convocation

鈥淚t elevates convocation to a new level鈥
Drone photo of Convocation Hall and front campus
老司机直播 is trying out drone photography this convocation with the help of Professor Hugh Liu and his student Jason King, both of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (photo by Jason King)

Class of 2017: look up. 

For the first time ever, the University of Toronto is using drones to capture photos and video of new graduates in their gowns flooding out of Convocation Hall. The office of academic and campus events asked Hugh Liu, a professor in the Institute for Aerospace Studies at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and his student Jason King to conduct test flights this week.

The ultimate goal is to draft a university framework for flying unmanned aerial vehicles on campus, he said.

Most of the Toronto sky is off-limits to drones, but Liu and  鈥 a startup born from his 老司机直播 research 鈥 obtained a special flight certificate from Transport Canada for the occasion.   

Although he has worked at the 老司机直播 Institute for Aerospace Studies for nearly two decades, the drone photos showed him a different side of the downtown Toronto campus.

鈥淵ou see the campus in all its beauty, and you realize it鈥檚 part of the urban fabric,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t almost feels like Central Park.鈥


Professor Hugh Liu and master's student Jason King prepare for lift off (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville) 

Liu鈥檚 research focuses on how to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for a range of purposes from monitoring forest fires to managing traffic and making deliveries. Two years ago, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to train 150 new experts in UAVs.

鈥淲e are trying to increase (UAVs鈥) level of autonomy so that we use fewer resources while maximizing their output,鈥 King said. 

鈥淥perating this drone is kind of like flying in a video game.鈥 

On Wednesday, he and King used a commercially available quadcopter 鈥 a drone with four propellers 鈥 to take pictures and video of a morning graduation procession.

King, a master鈥檚 student in aerospace engineering, piloted the drone using a remote control and a live feed on his cellphone.

鈥淥perating this drone is kind of like flying in a video game,鈥 he said.

Quadcopter above UC
Spot the quadcopter (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville) 

The UAV became an inconspicuous white speck in the air above the graduating students walking from University College to Convocation Hall, the university鈥檚 largest classroom with room for 1,731 people.

In recent years, the university has received many requests from film crews, media and student groups for permission to take drone photos and footage, said Steve Bailey, director of the office of academic and campus events.

鈥淲e quickly recognized that we needed some kind of framework鈥 on drones, he said 鈥 one that would take privacy and safety concerns into account. 

Like Liu, Bailey says the drone photos gave him a new perspective on campus and the graduation ceremony.

鈥淚 think it elevates convocation to a new level,鈥 Bailey says.

鈥淲e鈥檝e always known this is a special place and a special occasion, but when you see the campus juxtaposed with the concrete of the city, you just say 鈥榃ow.鈥欌

Photo of drone after landing
King and Liu after a successful landing (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

 

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