Man, where were all the cool things for kids when we were growing up? We had some interesting stuff but anything called the RoboMaster S1 would have been coloured in bright neon, made of semi-indestructible plastics, and would probably have been the result of a cartoon series tie-in. DJI, though, has other ideas.
The Machine Age
DJI’s latest drone doesn’t take to the skies. It trundles around on the ground like a good little tank, because that’s what it is. And it’s also an educational toy, designed to teach the younger crowd to code — because that’s mighty important (and very en vogue) these days.
The RoboMaster S1 is the result of a competition hosted by DJI called… RoboMasters. That involves students creating robots and pitting their creations against one another’s in an arena, Robot Wars-style. This one is a little less violent and a lot more educational. The diminutive tank is packed with smarts, conferred by some 31 sensors. It can be controlled via app, users can code their own commands, and it responds to sounds, gestures, or specific objects. Yeah, it can see. Kinda. The integrated camera helps there. Of course it has a camera, because it says ‘DJI’ on the box, after all.
It also has a little cannon, in case you want to use it for some desktop wars. The ammunition is made from gel beads, though, so it shouldn’t hurt. Much. Again, where was this stuff when we were growing up?
The DJI RoboMaster S1 is set for launch this week in the States, Europe, and Japan. The edutainment toy will set parental wallets back some $500, or about R7,400. There’s no confirmation for South Africa, but when there is, it’s a safe bet that the tank will wind up on the iStore.
Source: The Verge