APU’s School of Computing (SoC) launched its first internal drone competition, SkyCrafters@APU, to provide hands-on AI and robotics education. The event saw Master of Science in AI students apply their skills in both manual and autonomous drone navigation, fostering teamwork and technical skills through an innovative, experiential learning approach.

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Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation’s (APU) School of Computing (SoC) has elevated Artificial Intelligent (AI) learning to new heights with its inaugural internal drone competition, ‘SkyCrafters@APU: Code. Fly. Conquer’. 

Held on 2 September 2025, the event marked an exciting new era of hands-on, experiential education for students.

The competition was a thrilling culmination of classroom learning, where 24 full-time Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence students put their skills to the test. 

Hailing from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, they applied their knowledge from the ‘Autonomous Robots’ chapter of their module in a real-world setting. 

The main event, The SkyDash Challenge – Race Your Code Through Sky-Bound Twists and Turns, used CoDrone Mini platforms to sharpen students’ programming and problem-solving abilities. 

The competition was divided into two categories. In Category A (Manual Navigation), students demonstrated their piloting skills by manually flying a drone between two tables and back. 

For Category B (Autonomous Navigation), students were challenged to write Python code to program their drones to navigate an obstacle course completely on their own, truly testing their AI expertise.

Liu Yuhan and Peng Yunfei from China won Category A with a winning time of 20.83 seconds. Guo Sihan and Li Tianzi, also from China, won Category B with a winning time of 22.5 seconds.

“The competition was more than just a race; it was a vibrant mix of teamwork, cross-cultural exchange, and focused fun. 

“Students bonded over the challenges of drone navigation, strengthening their technical skills while fostering a sense of community,” said Associate Professor Ts Dr Vinothini Kasinathan, the brainchild behind this event. 

The organising team also included Assistant Professor Ts Dr Maythem Kamal Abbas Al-Adilee, Ms Nur Amira Abdul Majid and Ms Tham Hoong Ching.

As a successful pilot initiative, SkyCrafters@APU is set to become a signature series of events at the university. 

With its apt tagline, ‘Where Code Meets the Sky’, it highlights APU’s dedication to providing innovative, hands-on learning experiences that prepare students for the future of technology.