Founded in the Fall of 2015, as the consumer drone market started to gain momentum, UAVs@Berkeley came out of a need for UC Berkeley engineers to collaborate on this newly accessible technology. Off to a quick start, the new organization’s leaders focused on rapid recruitment and hosting publically accessible events. A generous hardware donation from Berkeley drone company 3D Robotics allowed the club to start building custom quadcopters in its first semester. UAVs@Berkeley enjoyed a strong interest from the student body and attendance at our early Build Days and Fly Days steadily increased.

By the Spring of 2017, the club had grown to 60-80 active members each semester and our project teams were founded. Each team focuses on unique aspects of drone technology, allowing members to specialize based on their interests. Our CALFPV racing team had gone competitive, attending local and out-of-state races to represent Cal. Sponsorship oppurtunities came our way as the club gained membership and attempted more and more ambitious projects. The Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies kindly offered us a lab on campus which kickstarted our hardware acquisition and prototyping capabilities.

Now the club has the talent, resources, and knowledge base to consistently push the state of the art in drones. Come join us, and you’ll see why the movement is contagious – it’s about building, flying, and collaborating.