Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU students win first in international micro air vehicle competition

Brigham Young University student engineers recently won first place at the second annual U.S.-European Competition and Workshop on Micro Air Vehicles at Eglin Air Force Base in Sandestin, Fla. The BYU team was one of eight.

The competition required student teams to launch a surveillance mission in which their MAV autonomously flew to three locations and beamed back video. Following that, the tiny, unmanned airplane attempted to hit a target on the ground with a deployable paintball. BYU's ball landed within 5 feet of the target.

Brett Millar and Nathan Knoebel represented BYU in the competition. Fellow students Blake Barber, Neil Johnson and Ian Beaty worked to prepare for the competition, but did not go to Florida. All students are members of the university's MAGICC laboratory.

Tim McLain, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Randy Beard, an associate professor of electrical engineering, advised the students.

"Getting undergrads involved in research helps them to be successful," said McLain. "They are able to take the experience they get, go to competitions like these and do really well."

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Geology meets history: BYU professor studies WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches

June 05, 2025
Eighty years after D-Day, BYU geologists uncover lingering WWII shrapnel on Normandy beaches to study how history still shapes the coastline today.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Forum: Lessons from Noise: Crackle to Calm

June 03, 2025
This year’s Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Kent Gee, delivered his forum address on the science of sound and how he and BYU students have contributed to significant research in the acoustics industry.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

BYU study finds the real reasons why some people choose not to use artificial intelligence

June 03, 2025
In a recent study, BYU professors Jacob Steffen and Taylor Wells explored why some people are still reluctant to use GenAI tools. While some people might worry about an AI apocalypse, Steffen and Wells found that most non-users are more concerned with issues like trusting the results, missing the human touch or feeling unsure if GenAI is ethical to use.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=