NASA University Challenge Ignites Trajectory of Drone Entrepreneur

In 2024, AG3 Labs, a company specializing in military training drones, was founded by a group of co-founders who shared a common experience with NASA's University Student Research Challenge (USRC). Gavin Gardner, one of the co-founders, was a Michigan State University engineering student when he participated in NASA's USRC five years ago.

His participation in the USRC provided him with essential skills in both engineering and entrepreneurship, which he and his team found crucial in navigating the financial and promotional aspects of their work.

Gardner's journey began with a middle school trip to Space Camp, which sparked his interest in engineering. This passion was shared with his brother Gryson, who also began tinkering with various machinery, including drones, in their Michigan garage. Gardner's engineering skills were further honed while studying at Michigan State, where he joined a drone-focused extracurricular group.

In 2021, Gardner received a USRC grant from NASA for an activity called Aerial Intra-city Delivery Electric Drones (AIDED). The team designed a cargo-carrying drone that could hitchhike a ride on a city bus, charge its batteries while riding along, and then take off for the final leg of the delivery. Although they decided against pursuing a commercial venture, this project demonstrated their technical prowess and confidence, leading to a second USRC award in 2023 for the Laser Energized Aerial Drone System (LEADS) project.

The LEADS project focused on using a laser to transfer power directly to a drone in flight, which led to Gardner's network of contacts within the drone community expanding to include NASA personnel at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. This network provided him with internship opportunities while he was pursuing his graduate studies.