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Regional project · Science communication

Drones y mazmorras

Secondary school students in Aragon made scale models of castles and historic buildings using drones, 3D modelling and digital fabrication

About the project

Drones y mazmorras (‘Drones and dungeons’) set out to bring new technologies closer to young people by studying castles, palaces, towers and other historic buildings near them.

Students took pictures of their chosen building with drones, digital cameras or mobile phones. The images were processed with modelling software to produce 3D models, which were then used with laser cutters, milling machines and 3D printers to build scale models of Aragon’s castles.

At the same time, students used written and oral sources to research the building’s historical context, how it was built, its legends and its uses, and prepared a shared information panel to go with the model in a final exhibition. The model and supporting materials became the property of the school, which could display them at the local town hall.

Up to 8 state or state-funded schools could take part, preferably rural ones, with Year 2 ESO students (aged 13–14) and their teachers. The technical work took place at BIFI’s César Laboratories at Etopia (Zaragoza).

Project objectives

  • Introduce young people to technologies such as drones, 3D modelling and digital fabrication.
  • Bring together heritage, history and technology through buildings near each school.
  • Involve local councils, residents and keepers of local oral tradition in the study of their heritage.
  • Add value to each town’s cultural heritage through the model and its materials.

The role of Ibercivis

The project was organised by BIFI with the support of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport of the Government of Aragon, and run jointly by BIFI and Fundación Ibercivis, together with IUCA and Etopia. Ibercivis helped organise the training day for teachers.

Our activities

  • Call for secondary schools, with registration open until 20 December 2016.
  • Training day for around 60 secondary teachers from Aragon at Etopia on Saturday 11 February 2017, with the support of IUCA, Aragodron and Delsat.
  • Fieldwork with drones and image processing to create 3D models and scale models.
  • Presentation of the project at the University of Zaragoza Scientific Culture Unit’s outreach day in the Paraninfo building (22 March 2017).

Project details

Type of project

Regional

Duration

2017

Funding

Co-funded by FECYT and Etopia

Consortium

BIFI (University of Zaragoza), Fundación Ibercivis, Department of Education, Culture and Sport of the Government of Aragon, IUCA and Etopia

Area

Science communication