BLIMP, Drone, and Robotics Short Course Finals
From drone‑based traffic monitoring to exploring how biological systems inspire modern aerial design, the MIX short courses continue to spark a culture of innovation. This Spring 2026, the MIX hosted the BLIMP, Innovators Launchpad, Drone, and Robotics Short Courses. You can read a separate article, here, on the MIX Innovators Launchpad Final Event, and explore highlights from the BLIMP, Drone, and Robotics short course finals below.
BLIMP (Biologically-Inspired, Lighter-than-Air, Instructional Mechatronics Program)
Spring 2026 Final Event Group Photo
Floating at the intersection of biology, design, and engineering, the Spring 2026 MIX BLIMP (Biologically-Inspired, Lighter-than-Air, Instructional Mechatronics Program) Short Course delivered one of the semester’s most imaginative showcases.
Led by GMU Mechanical Engineering Professor Dr. Daigo Shishika, eighteen students worked in five teams to design and build interactive, biologically inspired flying blimps. Emphasizing experimentation and creative problem-solving, the course encouraged students to think beyond conventional aerial robotics.
Final projects were presented to a distinguished panel of judges:
Dr. Cameron Nowzari, Dr. Xuan Wang, Gisele Stolz, and Dr. Max Kazemzadeh.
Top honors were awarded to:
First Place – Team “Silver Fish” - Johannett Camacho-Zambrana, Timothy Skudi, David Djiba
From responsive behaviors to novel flight dynamics, the BLIMP program continues to push the boundaries of what lighter-than-air systems can be.
Unmanned Aerial Systems - Drone
Spring 2026 Final Event Group Photo
Innovation took flight at the Spring 2026 final event of the MIX Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drone) Prototyping Short Course, taught by GMU Robotics PhD candidate Aniket Anand Datar under the guidance of Dr. Xuesu Xiao.
Throughout the semester, 20 students formed 5 teams to explore practical, real-world applications of drone technology—from environmental monitoring to precision agriculture. Their work culminated in a final showcase where teams were evaluated.
Final projects were presented to a distinguished panel of industry and institutional expert judges:
Alec Thompson (Heven Aerotech), Jordan Higgins (MITRE), Blaine Ries (GMU Police Department), and Sampson Addo (I-Corps).
Top honors were awarded to:
First Place – Team Drones in Precision Agriculture: Kaniz Fatema Mim, Sahil Shinwari, and Shirin A. Mahmoudian
Second Place (Tied) – Team Peak-hour Aerial Traffic and Parking Analytics Using Drones: Dianna Julie Parra, David Djiba, Adama Ndiaye
Second Place (Tied) – Team CellDrone-RAN: On-Demand Aerial Microcell for Outage Recovery and Congestion Relief: Abhinav Sai Tummapudi, Yaw Ansong-Dwamena, Sebastian Kwakye
The course highlighted not only technical achievement but also the growing role of UAS technologies in addressing complex, real-world challenges.
Autonomous Robotics and Sensor Integration
Spring 2026 Group Presentation
Hands-on problem solving and rapid prototyping were at the core of the Spring 2026 MIX Autonomous Robotics and Sensor Integration Short Course, taught by Dr. Max Kazemzadeh.
With twenty students forming ten teams, the course emphasized iterative design, sensor integration, and real-time decision-making in autonomous systems. Students developed functional robotic solutions addressing navigation, interaction, and environmental response.
Projects were presented during a final showcase and evaluated by a panel of faculty and peer experts:
Dr. Pelin Kurtay, Dr. Vivian Genaro Motti, and Brian Yu (Fall 2025 MIX Robotics Short Course winner).
Top honors were awarded to:
First Place – Team Waitlisted: Dilpreet Singh and Jeffrey Gonzalez
Second Place (Tied) – Team MO-VE: Morolake Okanlawon and Veronica Padrino
Second Place (Tied)Team S-Hunters: Yingjie Zhang and Hsuanchih Kuo
The course reflects the MIX’s commitment to applied robotics education—where students move quickly from concept to working systems.