DJI Robomaster S1, The terrestrial drone that combines fun and learning
DJI Robomaster S1 sees the Chinese company, known for its drones, leave its usual ambit to make a drone rigorously off the ground. Designed for the educational market, it can be easily programmed using AI.
It’s called DJI RoboMaster S1 and is a programmable robot designed to act as a link between fun and learning. The RoboMaster S1 is a robot with four wheels and a turret and can be used both as a terrestrial drone and as a programmable robot and able to execute specific instructions, as well as to interact with the environment thanks to artificial intelligence.
DJI RoboMaster S1, the robot for learning while having fun
DJI made its debut in the educational market in 2013 with RoboMaster, its first robot designed for various types of competition. The RoboMaster S1 is the first product explicitly dedicated to consumers and designed on the basis of the experience gained by DJI with RoboMaster. ” S1 ” stands for ” Step 1 “, the first step, since it is the first of a series of products that DJI aims to release for the educational market.
The DJI RoboMaster S1 is supplied unassembled: it is composed of 35 different types of components, for a total of 107 parts and 101 screws. Assembling it correctly is part of the educational path.
On board the RoboMaster S1, we find 31 sensors, distributed throughout the robot to make it aware of what is around it. On the top of the tower we find a camera capable of shooting movies at 1080p resolution, characterized by an aperture of f/2.8 and a viewing angle of 180°. The motors are brushless and are able to supply a total maximum power of 100 W.
On the back, there is a card with connectors: in addition to the connectors for the sensors and the motors, this card offers six PWM connectors to connect accessories specially developed by other companies or by enthusiasts. In this way, it is possible to expand the DJI RoboMaster S1 theoretically in an unlimited manner.
The RoboMaster S1 can be piloted using a smartphone or tablet, to which the dedicated controller can be connected. In this way, the RoboMaster S1 can be used as a game capable of operating in different modes: on the one hand pure racing, on the other battles using the laser cannon mounted on the turret or silicon bullets sold separately. Battles can involve up to six RoboMasters S1.
The possibility of programming the DJI RoboMaster S1 to perform specific tasks is particularly interesting. On board, the robot is a chip capable of performing tasks using artificial intelligence, and it is possible to program the RoboMaster S1 to follow people or animals, follow lines drawn on the ground, perform tasks based on the gestures a person is making or to the clapping of hands, and so on.
The response is immediate and even at low power the RoboMaster S1 is particularly reactive and lively (it is possible to adjust the maximum speed, also depending on the environment in which the robot is used). There is no doubt that, it is a fun and interesting product even just for the playful aspect. Interesting is the fact that the bullets are made of silicone that must be immersed in water for a few hours so that it swells and takes the final shape.
The programming aspect is undoubtedly the most interesting on an intellectual and educational level. It is possible to program the robot using either Scratch 3.0, which is a visual programming language, or Python.
With Scratch, it is possible to put together a sort of ” puzzle ” containing sequences of instructions already pre-made, focusing exclusively on the creation of the algorithm and leaving aside the implementation aspects.
Using Python, on the other hand, it is possible to devote oneself to the actual programming, intervening directly on the code to have more control over the device and implement features not foreseen by Scratch.
In November, the company will release an additional update to implement additional features, such as the possibility of using the robot as an intercom and using some third-party radio controls.
The RoboMaster S1 is already available at DJI at a price of $549. The arrival at the large retailers is expected over the next few weeks. A kit of additional accessories is also available which includes the remote control, a spare battery, bullets and the container for bullets, which costs $169.
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