School District Five teacher leads summer camp at USC

For Immediate Release – June 23, 2025

School District Five teacher leads summer camp at USC

IRMO – Aerospace engineering instructor at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) Dr. Martin Cwiakala recently led a summer camp at the University of South Carolina titled Adventures in Telepresence Amusement Park Ride via Augmented Reality. As part of the university’s continuing education program, students built miniature amusement park rides, equipped them with live-feed cameras, and experienced them in first-person using head-mounted displays.

Using K’NEX Amusement Park kits and similar model systems, campers engineered working rides and added wireless analog cameras, commonly used in drone racing, to simulate rider perspectives. These cameras streamed video to head-mounted displays, transforming the observation of scale models into immersive, ride-along experiences.

Campers also explored electricity and motion control, integrating slot car components to create ride controllers. As a final challenge, students arranged their rides into a unified amusement park exhibit, using camera feeds to evaluate layout impact and engagement. Public speaking instruction helped students confidently present their designs to professors, visitors, and fellow program participants.

“When the students brought their rides together to arrange the amusement park the engagement was next level," said Cwiakala. "Strong opinions were present, and students supported their choices with sound reasoning. It was impressive!”

Participant Akil Ross Jr. added, “The teamwork, presenting, and learning about electricity was the best part.”

Building on the camp's success, this telepresence amusement park concept will be piloted with first-year aerospace students at The Center. Students will partner with The Heritage at Lowman residents to design an amusement park tailored to their interests. Plans are underway for the students to showcase their work during Physics Day at the South Carolina State Fair in October.

The concept will also be implemented at Dutch Fork Middle School and Harbison West Elementary School, where high school students from The Center will serve as mentors.

“The ultimate vision for this project is a STEAM competition with strong community engagement,” Cwiakala said. “A unique feature is that attendees can directly interact with student creations, building connections through shared experience.” 

Videos from their summer camp rides can be seen at https://tinyurl.com/2025Rides. 

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