DJI RoboMaster S1

DJI RoboMaster S1 Professional Education Robot

At the turn of the millennium, Discovery’s programming included a unique program in which teams of engineers constructed robots and exhibited them in the ring. BattleBots was a fascinating show, and although it was only on air for a few seasons, it set the hearts of the audience on fire for years. No wonder that recently it was decided to resume the production of the show, and in the meantime, programs of similar subject matter appeared.

All shows of this type, however, have one major drawback – although they can awaken the youngest passion for robotics, it is only a small group of lucky people who can get into the program. DJI company decided to do something about it. Their latest project, RoboMaster S1, is not another tool for photographers. It is a highly advanced educational robot, which will not only be used to learn the secrets of programming, but will also be a great toy and a ticket to the robot fight championship.

At first glance, RoboMaster S1 is a classic educational gadget designed to use in the process of innovative teaching computer science. In the box you will find a set for self-assembly, which includes, among others, the central unit, drive system or various sensors. What distinguishes it from other toys of this type is the fact that we have only one model to assemble – a vehicle with four independently controlled wheels equipped with a massive shooting tower.

However, the appearance of this toy may seem deceptive, as its potential lies in what lies beneath the casing. Young designers will have at their disposal, among others, a camera, motion sensor, collision, gimbal, missile launcher or a fully configurable central unit, which will allow to program the actions of RoboMaster S1 using Scratch 3.0 or Python. And it is in this tool that lies the greatest potential of S1. The robot is designed in such a way that it can be controlled by an application similar to a classic mobile game. Thanks to this, we will be able to create an arena in which several vehicles from DJI will compete.

The camera integrated with the turret will give us a preview of the playing field, and emitters and infrared sensors will allow you to fire at the enemy using virtual missiles. But this is only the simplest form of competition, the toy has been filled with various sensors for a reason. The turret can also be equipped with gel shells, which we use to shoot at the enemy. Impact sensors will detect the right arrows, thus lowering his health belt.

It is worth noting that the video shows only examples of the RoboMaster S1 set. Everyone will be able to program the toy and set the rules of fighting robots according to their own guidelines. Interestingly, we will receive a range of solutions using artificial intelligence technology – systems to recognize people, visual markers, lines, gestures and other S1 units. All this is given in a simple, easy to understand form.

Experiments with S1 will not be limited only to playing in a narrow circle of friends. DJI has the ambition to make RoboMaster S1 the equipment for sports competitions. The company wants to bring to life robot championships in which a wide range of young programmers will be able to take part. This is an ambitious project, which with a good organization has a chance not only to teach the youngest basics of mathematics, physics and programming, but can also lead to the birth of a new, exciting field of esport.

Unfortunately, RoboMaster S1 has one serious flaw – for now it is not available in distribution in Poland. First of all, it will be used by users from the United States, who will pay 499 dollars for the robot. Despite the quite significant price, the inventory ran out of stock in a flash.

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