The new student team, fifteen strong so far, goes by the name of Blue Jay. After a few months of underground preparation they officially started  last week. The project has come about thanks to the TU/e anniversary committee that’s preparing the university’s 60th birthday. During a three-day festival in April, the university wants “to show the rest of the world what we’re working on, and how things could look in the future”, according to committee member Tessie Hartjes.
 
Hartjes, who’s also Blue Jay’s team manager, says drone technology has much more to offer than what we’re using it for right now, because of the speed and agility of drones. “People still consider them mere gimmicks, or associate them with warfare. Drones have a pretty bad image. We want to change that.”
 
They plan on making a domestic drone that’s safe, friendly, helpful, and able to find its way around the house autonomously. “You could ask the drone to get a can of Coke or to find your keys. Simple as these tasks may seem, they’re really challenging to program.”
 
The team is on a tight schedule, as the students aim at completing their first drone by mid-January. In the three weeks that follow, they want to make more. The drones cost between one and five thousand euros. Blue Jay will be financially supported by TU/e, and is currently looking for sponsors.
 
“We’re thinking of using the drones for a drone cafe at the Anniversary Festival in April, where they will take orders and serve drinks. That would be something visitors won’t forget”, Hartjes believes.