>> With his feet on the ground
Paul Braun has found a way
to fly.
>> This is a hexrotor,
hex meaning six props.
>> To the uninitiated, a drone.
It looks other-worldly.
And that sound?
[high-pitched whine]
>> It's like a swarm of bees.
>> The drone carries high-tech
equipment.
>> The camera, the gimbal,
the landing gear.
>> But for Paul, it carries much
more.
It carries hope and even
heartache.
>> There were days when I was,
frankly, a little heartbroken,
a little depressed.
>> Paul first came across drones
through his work as a landscape
architect and geographer.
>> The most recent magazine in
my profession, every story was
about drones.
Every one of them.
It's a game-changer in how
mapping and surveying people
measure and monitor the world.
>> He knew drone technology
could help his colleagues, but
there was someone else in his
life who, Paul thought,
it could help even more.
>> I have a son with autism,
an 11 year old boy.
My son was diagnosed around
the age of two, mostly
because we thought he was deaf,
because he wasn't responding.
And the reality was he was just
in his own world.
>> Paul was interested in
research that showed autistic
children could benefit from
seeing themselves from different
points of view, the kind of
views you get from a drone.
>> So the idea of using this as
a technology to look back at
yourself.
That was really the impetus,
was how do you put this together
and maybe give my son and
some friends of his that
opportunity to, you know,
literally see the world through
a different set of eyes.
>> In 2012 Paul started raising
money to buy the hexrotor,
and talked to parents of other
children on the autism spectrum.
He called his project "Taking
Autism to the Sky."
>> We met every week.
We met for about two hours.
We broke into small groups.
This was pieces and parts that
we bought, and they built it
from scratch.
>> They mounted a small camera
and set up a screen in the back
of Paul's car, so that while one
boy ran the controls, others
could see and record the world
from above.
They even bought special goggles
so the boys could see what the
drone sees.
What does it look like with the
goggles?
>> Crazy.
>> Frankly, we were making it up
as we went along.
They handled it well.
We've had a lot of fun looking
at the video.
>> Along with giving the
children different points of
view, Paul also hoped to prepare
them for a job market that isn't
always friendly to people with
autism.
>> The unemployment rates are
horrific.
You know, I don't want that
to be my son.
I want him to be the CEO of a
company if he wants to.
And maybe, given their love of
videography, of video games,
internet, the high tech stuff.
You know, maybe there's a sweet
spot here that would really talk
to their skills and their
abilities.
>> While those careers are years
away, these kids are already
gaining attention around the
world.
>> The makers of the drone, a
company called DJI, have reached
out to us, and they have offered
to donate eight additional
units, which is incredibly
generous.
>> And there's another benefit,
less serious but just as
important.
Flying is fun.
>> When we first tried it I was
totally psyched.
>> I just like flying things.
>> I've flown at least two
times, maybe three.
>> I really like this project.
>> When you fly it, it comes all
the way down to the ground!
>> The first time it didn't
really work out as I expected.
>> It's great, because I can see
through the binoculars.
>> Paul says all that enthusiasm
is a reward in itself.
>> The ability forhem to just
bond, I think, was a real
benefit.
They don't participate in your
standard clubs and sports, so
this is a really big deal to
have, sort of a club if you
will, that gives them a chance
to do something together.
Plus the cool factor, right?
They're doing something that's
really different from your
average kid on a Saturday
playing soccer.
(Laughs)
>> It is pretty cool.
>> Yeah.