📅 RSVP for Info Session #1:

Sign up here to save a spot!   RSVP Here Come in person to ARMS 2008 (food will be provided!) or join online.

We’re excited to invite Students, Innovators, and Robotics Enthusiasts to participate in a two-staged Indoor Autonomous Fixed-Wing Drone Pylon Racing Competition, hosted by the Purdue Center on Artificial Intelligence for Digital, Autonomous, and Augmented Aviation (AIDA³), Purdue UAS Research and Test Facility (PURT), and Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC).

This hands-on challenge is designed for students and individuals passionate about robotics, control systems, and autonomous flights. Participants will develop a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) solution to autonomously fly a fixed-wing UAV around a pylon course—first in simulation, then in real-world flight testing at Purdue’s state-of-the-art PURT facility.

🔗 Sign up and learn more: https://pylon-racing.geddes.rcac.purdue.edu/

🚀Why Join?

• Apply classroom knowledge to a real-world robotics challenge.

• Gain experience with ROS2, digital twin simulation, and flight testing.

• Compete for cash prizes.

• Collaborate with peers and mentors in a cutting-edge UAV environment.

• Build your resume with hands-on engineering and AI experience.

🧠Who Should Participate?

• Students from any college or university

• Individuals with beginner to intermediate experience in robotics and control

• Anyone curious about fixed-wing UAVs, autonomous systems, and ROS2.

• Event	Date/Time
  Competition Launch	Oct 24, 2025
  Registration Opens	Oct 31, 2025, 11:59 pm
  Info Session #1	Oct 31, 2025, 1:30 pm
  Competition Begins	Nov 17, 2025, 11:59 pm
  Info Session #2	Nov 21, 2025, 1:30 pm
  Virtual Submission Deadline	Dec 01, 2025, 11:59 pm
  Finalists Announced	Dec 02, 2025, 11:59 pm
  In-Person Competition	Dec 06, 2025, 10:00 am