How Drones Took Over the Olympics (and Nobody’s Mad About It)

Once upon a time, Olympic coverage meant shaky helicopter shots, cable cams, and a whole lot of “we’ll fix it in post.” Then drones showed up and flipped the whole broadcast game on its head. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, drones weren’t a gimmick — they were essential. They flew choreographed paths through…

Read More

Drone Maintenance Checklist (Nobody Does This…Until It’s Too Late)

Let’s be honest—most drone pilots are great at flying and terrible at maintenance. We charge the batteries, toss the drone in a case, and assume it’ll be fine next time. And usually it is… until it isn’t. Motors start screaming, props wobble, batteries puff up, and suddenly your “quick flight” turns into a crash report…

Read More

Anatomy of a Drone: Meet the Tiny Flying Circus

A drone is basically a group project that actually works. Every part has a job, nobody can slack off, and if one piece quits, the whole thing comes crashing down. Literally. So let’s crack open the flying robot and meet the cast of characters that make drones buzz, hover, and occasionally scare birds. First up,…

Read More

How the 5 P’s Turn Ideas Into Real-World Creations

Innovation doesn’t just happen — it’s built, step by step. At the Franklin Center for Innovation, we teach students and creators to turn ideas into impact through a hands-on framework we call the 5 P’s: Proposal, Pattern Making, Prototyping, Production, and Presentation. Each stage builds essential skills in communication, design, fabrication, and entrepreneurship. Whether you’re…

Read More

Training M.E.T.H.O.D.S. for a New Future.

author – Logan L. Masterson Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology, Hypothesis, Observation, Design & Systemization M.E.T.H.O.D.S is an acronym describing the learning and development process practiced by digital fabricators. It is cyclical in nature, meaning that once the end is reached, the process starts all over again, whether for the refinement of a project or the beginning of a…

Read More