DeSmet has purchased a drone: the Phantom 4. The $1000 aerial bot is joining the campus in order to expand the school’s arsenal for finding creative ways to look at everyday objects from a new perspective.

The Phantom 4 is nothing to shake a stick at. It can fly for almost half an hour and its top speed clocks in at 45 mi/h. Pair the speed with the flexibility of flight and a 12 MP camera that can record video at 4k resolution, and the Phantom reveals itself as the marvel of technology it is.

“What we hope to do with the class is really empower the students to come up with new, creative ideas to shoot video and incorporate it into their projects,” publications adviser Kevin Berns said. “This is one of those things that really gets students fired up.”

There are a myriad of new immersive possibilities shooting from a bird’s eye view. Students and teachers are eager to get their hands on the new piece of technology.

“We are going to use it for admissions purposes, for advancement purposes, for alumni purposes: all to showcase the school,” Berns said. “That’s where the investment is.”

Once individuals are properly trained, the Phantom will be put into action. The community can expect to encounter the drone in someplace or another in the next few weeks.