Columbia, MD – Nearly two dozen African American boys from Howard County middle and high schools will participate in a workshop on Sunday where they will learn to fly drones using headsets that measure their brainwaves. The demonstration will be led by Dr. Chris Crawford, Director the University of Alabama’s Human-Technology Interaction Lab (HTIL) and pioneer of “brain drone racing.”
Students from Morgan State’s Human AI Experience (HAX) Lab will also be on hand for the workshop to witness the technology they’ve been studying at Morgan in action.
Dr. Crawford’s team hosts brain drone races across the country as a way to increase the visibility of brain-computer interface technology among the broader public and demonstrate the power this technology will have to shape the future. To continue the initiative, Dr. Crawford’s HTIL program is partnering with Dr. Naja Mack’s HAX Lab at Morgan State to host a brain drone race on campus during the 2024-2025 academic school year.
This Sunday’s brain drone racing workshop is sponsored by the Columbia (MD) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.’s Kappa League program. Kappa League is a male mentorship program designed to pair members of the fraternity with African American boys in middle and high school in an effort to aid in the development of stronger academic, economic, social, and life skills. Kappa League invited Dr. Crawford– a former Kappa Leaguer and current member of Kappa Alpha Psi– to share his story and inspire young black men to pursue a career in STEM.
Members of the press are encouraged to attend the workshop.
Dr. Crawford’s work is directly supported by the National Science Foundation. The Brain Drone Racing League was co-founded by Dr. Marvin Andujar alongside Dr. Crawford.
