In Xiangyang Yao Village, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, villagers were amazed to see bamboo bundles transported by drone across steep slopes and deep ravines for the first time. This scene is a real-life example of a summer social practice activity by a student innovation and entrepreneurship team from the School of Computer and Artificial Intelligence at Xiangnan University.
Comprised of current university students, this youth entrepreneurship team has brought cutting-edge low-altitude economy technology to a remote mountain village. Through hands-on innovation, they have transformed classroom knowledge into practical solutions for local challenges, embodying a mission to revitalize rural areas through science and technology.
Xiangyang Yao Village is nestled deep in the mountains and rich in bamboo resources, but it has long suffered from a "mountain trap" - steep terrain and high transportation costs make it difficult to move harvested bamboo out. As a result, large quantities of bamboo rot in the mountains, leaving villagers unable to capitalize on their "green bank." Converting these mountain bamboos into income was a tough challenge for local rural revitalization and the starting point for the team to break through with technological innovation.
Facing this bottleneck, the team leveraged their expertise in computer science and artificial intelligence to deeply integrate drone technology with the village's actual needs. They innovatively designed a heavy-load drone transport solution. Building on three already-filed software copyrights, they independently optimized the flight control and transport scheduling system. Additionally, team members including Li Hong took the lead in applying for a utility model patent for an anti-fall and anti-displacement device for drone cargo transport. This effectively solved the problem of cargo stability during transport, making aerial operations safer and more reliable. These intellectual property achievements vividly demonstrate how university students translate innovation and entrepreneurship education into practical application capabilities.
Under the team's precise control, drones carrying bundled bamboo followed a predetermined flight path across complex terrain, efficiently connecting harvesting points with collection points. This completely opened up the "last mile" of outbound transport. Compared with traditional manual transport, efficiency has increased several times, while costs and safety risks have dropped significantly. The team also hired local unemployed and impoverished farmers to form harvesting and bundling labor teams, directly channeling the benefits of technology to increase villagers' income.
Mr. Li, a villager who had watched his bamboo forest remain inaccessible for decades, finally felt relieved as he saw the drones shuttling back and forth. Initially skeptical, the villagers were pleasantly surprised when they saw bundles of bamboo arriving safely at the mountain base, and they actively offered to help. One villager told a team member, "You must come again next year!" This simple recognition is the best affirmation of the value of university students' innovation and entrepreneurship.
According to statistics, during the summer practice period alone, the drone transport operation completed the movement of hundreds of tons of bamboo, directly increasing local bamboo industry revenue by over 200,000 yuan. This revitalized previously abandoned bamboo mountain resources. More importantly, this model showed villagers the real possibility of transforming production through technology and gave the university students a deep understanding that innovation is not just theory, but a practical effort rooted in the land and serving the people.
Based on this practice, the School of Computer and Artificial Intelligence at Xiangnan University has officially signed an agreement with Xiangyang Yao Village to establish a university student innovation and entrepreneurship social practice base for rural revitalization. Drone transport has been included in the list of regular services. Thus, the short-term summer encounter has evolved into a long-term, sustained support system, providing a continuous youthful force for revitalizing the countryside through technology.
Looking ahead, the team will continue to optimize the anti-fall patent technology, improve load capacity and flight endurance, and plan to train local drone pilots, ensuring the technology truly "stays and is passed on." From lamenting over unused bamboo to seeing bamboo fly down the mountains, this student team has demonstrated the deep integration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology-driven rural revitalization. Using drones as their wings, their expertise as their foundation, and innovation as their spirit, they have honed their skills in serving the countryside and grown by solving real problems.
As the team leader stated, "We want every bamboo stalk to fly out of the mountains, and we want every student to find the value of their youth on the big stage of rural revitalization." This is a vivid example of university student innovation and entrepreneurship, and it is the most touching answer written by youth for revitalizing the countryside through science and technology.