The CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition) is an edition of the CoDrone EDU meant for JROTC programs. If you aren't a JROTC program, most likely you won't need to spend the extra $100 on the JROTC edition.
There's a new edition to the CoDrone EDU! In recent years, there have been a lot of policy changes regarding the way some schools procure technology. When it comes to drones, policies such as the American Security Drone Act have affected how military-funded school programs procure drone technology for their students. In the case of the Army's Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, the program funding can only be used on technology where certain components of the drone can't be sourced from covered foreign entities, which includes the country of China. The JROTC program is one of the largest leadership and citizenship programs for youth in the world.
This is how the JROTC edition of the CoDrone EDU came to be. The JROTC edition of the CoDrone EDU was created to offer a solution specifically for the US Army JROTC programs. This enables JROTC students to still use our CoDrone EDU and integrate drone education into their classrooms and to participate in the national Aerial Drone Competition.
JROTC funding has restrictions on what kinds of devices military funding can be used for. They’re particularly sensitive to certain components being made in China, because it falls into the category of “foreign country of concern”. For most non-JROTC schools in the country, this is not an issue, but it is a restriction particularly for JROTC funding.
The CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition) uses parts sourced from approved manufacturers, and is assembled in South Korea. This allows for JROTC funding to be used to purchase this drone for classrooms and students.
JROTC is very interested in students participating in the Aerial Drone Competition, and many of them already do send teams to the competitions. While there are JROTC programs who participate in the Aerial Drone Competition, previously they could only participate if they purchased the CoDrone EDU using alternative sources of funding. Naturally, JROTC programs would prefer being able to use their regular funding to purchase the kits, which precludes most of them from purchasing the CoDrone EDU. With the JROTC edition, it opens up the competition to all JROTC programs.
The simple answer is: if you aren't JROTC, most likely not.
The JROTC edition, due to being sourced from different manufacturers and being assembled in South Korea, the pricing is $100 higher to meet those requirements. We generally recommend most school districts to purchase the CoDrone EDU and save the extra $100 per unit.
There are a growing number of school districts concerned about 889 compliance, which is a requirement for tech and its internal components to not be sourced from a list of very specific manufacturers. The standard edition of CoDrone EDU is already 889 compliant, which you can read about here. So for a vast majority of schools in the United States, you can save the $100 per unit in your budget and get the standard edition.
That being said, in some rare cases, some non-JROTC programs and school districts may have similar requirements to the JROTC funding for the tech they bring into their schools. So you also don't necessarily have to be a JROTC program to purchase the JROTC edition.
It's always best to check with your school district on what kinds of funding requirements your school district or grant may have.
There are a couple minor design changes implemented in the CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition) worth mentioning, but none of them affect or improve its performance over CoDrone EDU.
First, with the CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition), we switched the port over to USB-C—this includes the battery charger, drone USB port, and controller USB ports. The end of the cable connecting to the computer is still the conventional USB-A port, however. So your devices need not have a USB-C port. Below are examples of the USB-C port on the CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition).
For the cable itself, you'll see that the port connecting to the computer is a USB-A port, and the port connecting to the drone, the dual-battery charger, and the controller are USB-C ports.
Secondly, the controller is now powered with the same battery as the drone. This means that the controller can also be used to charge a drone battery, the controller becomes more lightweight, and you don't need to have a stash of AA batteries. This also means the way the controller is powered on does slightly differ from the standard edition. The details of that are explained in the Getting Started course in our lesson portal. As such, the JROTC edition does come with 3 rechargeable batteries, rather than 2.
These are the two main differences. There are other minor differences which still do not have an effect on the drone's performance, such as the frame color, the number of screws in the shell, and some menu adjustments on the controller screen. However in terms of performance, the two editions of the drone are the same. You won't have any advantage or disadvantage by having either of the drones in the Aerial Drone Competition.
Here is a full specification list comparing the two editions:
CoDrone EDU (JROTC ed.) | CoDrone EDU | |
Age group | 12+ | 12+ |
Pricing | $314.99 | $214.99 |
Coding languages | Blockly, Python | Blockly, Python |
Device compatibility | Chromebook (Blockly only), macOS, Windows | Chromebook (Blockly only), macOS, Windows |
Wireless protocol | Radio 2.4 GHz | Radio 2.4 GHz |
Drone battery & charge time | 3.7V | 530mAh | 20C 7-8 min flight time 60 mins charge time |
3.7V | 530mAh | 20C 7-8 min flight time 60 mins charge time |
Controller battery | Lipo battery (same battery as drone) | 2x AA batteries (not included) |
Number of included lipo batteries | 3 | 2 |
Sensors | Gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, optical flow, bottom range, front range, dual underside color sensor | Gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, optical flow, bottom range, front range, dual underside color sensor |
Weight & dimensions | 54.8 g / 1.93 oz 138.8 x 138.5 x 34.8 mm 5.45 x 5.45 x 1.38 in |
54.8 g / 1.93 oz 138.8 x 138.5 x 34.8 mm 5.45 x 5.45 x 1.38 in |
Made in | South Korea | China |
USB cable | USB-C to USB-A | Micro USB to USB-A |
Section 889 Compliant | Yes | Yes |
To really get into the details, here are the manufacturers of the internal components of the CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition):
Component Type |
Manufacturer |
Component Name |
Microcontroller |
STM32F407VET6 Arm® Cortex®-M4 32-bit |
|
IR range sensor |
VL53L0X Time of Flight sensor |
|
Radio communication |
nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz Transceiver |
|
Motion processing unit |
MPU6883 6-Axis MEMS MotionTrackingTM |
|
Optical flow sensor |
UP-FLOW-LC-306 Optical flow camera module |
|
Barometer |
SPL06-001 Digital Pressure sensor |
You can order the CoDrone EDU (JROTC edition) in our store now, as well as the set of 10.
]]>If you've seen the drone cage at our booth, we simply built a drone cage out of PVC pipes and some netting. While we don't have a drone cage available for sale (we're working on it), I do have a set of relatively simple instructions for how to make the drone cage we use at our booth out of PVC pipes!
The nice thing about it too is that you can build a drone cage for under $800.
Here's a list materials that you'll need:
Let's do an example with the actual drone cage we built for our booth, which is a 10 x 4 x 5 ft drone cage. The base of the drone cage is 10 x 4 ft, and the height is 5 ft. The one pictured in this post's cover image is actually an 8 x 3 ft footprint and 5 ft high, so this example is just slightly bigger. I would say it's a pretty decent size for a classroom where there's enough room to fly the drone around inside, but it won't take up too much of your classroom.
So with this example, here's the schematic. Below, I have the parts that you would need all listed out.
On FORMFIT's website, the PVC pipes only come in 60-inch (5 ft) lengths and 40-inch (3.3 ft) lengths. So for the five 4-ft pipes, you'll need to cut off a foot from each. So in terms of what you'll actually need to purchase, I've included a list below, with a few extra parts as well, since there's always a chance you could misplace a part during building or moving the drone cage. Or maybe you need to test the PVC cutter first, before making the actual cuts.
I'll list out the links to all of the parts with links below. These are for black pipes, but FORMUT has a bunch of different colors, including clear pipes!
Fittings:
Pipes:
Netting:
So if we actually put all those together, here's the breakdown of the cost to build that cage. These prices are based on prices as of the publication of this blog post, and don't include shipping, since that will change depending on where you're located—your mileage may vary.
$292.41 - PVC pipes & fittings
$449.60 - Netting
$14.49 - PVC cutter
$9.09 - Zip ties
GRAND TOTAL: $765.59 (without shipping)
As you can see, the most expensive part is the netting, because each net has a setup cost. You could even cut some costs by using just 2 longer overlapping nets instead. Or better yet, ordering one large net and draping it over the drone cage. Another option is just borrowing netting from your gym, if there are any unused soccer goal or volleyball nets.
Not bad, considering drone cages often will cost you well over $1,000!
Building the cage itself is pretty straightforward. Once all the parts arrive, you just need to cut a foot off of five of those 5-ft pipes so that you have five 4-ft pipes. There are videos on how to use the cutter, including on the Amazon listing itself—it's pretty straight forward and safe. If you'd rather do those five cuts yourself, you can handle that while the students build the cage. With the pipes cut, you can build the cage following the schematic above. To attach the nets, just zip tie the border of the net along the pipes, like in the cover image of this blog post.
That's it!
A drone cage isn't absolutely necessary, but it's a useful tool to have if you or your students are pretty new to drones, and you want to keep the drones contained in one place. Building a drone cage is also a great project to work on with a group of students, so they can get some hands-on experience with measuring, planning, and building.
You can also make your drone cage larger if you want more space to practice, just remember that you might want to size up to 1-1/4 inch diameter pipes, and add more support columns to prevent the frame from bowing too much.
If you have any questions about building the drone cage, feel free to reach out to us at info@robolink.com. We're happy to help!
]]>Check out our conference information below to see the conference dates, locations, and to schedule a demo to skip the line!
We're located to the right of the Hall D entrance between Meet The Author 3423 and Technology Discover Theater 3401.
You can also use our promo code (10303) to get a 10% discount on a Premium or Basic Pass. Use this link to register.
We're located at the back of the main hall, left of the main entrance and west of the secondary entrance.
We hope to see you there! Reach out to us at info@robolink.com if you have any questions.
]]>Here are 11 troubleshooting tips to check for during competitions:
Even with all the prep in the world, sometimes you'll run into situations where your drone isn't performing the way you expect. Maybe it's not taking off, maybe it's flying unexpectedly, or maybe your drone isn't pairing to Blockly. Part of being a strong competitor is knowing how to troubleshoot issues quickly in the moment, so that you can get your head back in the game.
So here are 11 rapid troubleshooting checks for contestants in the Aerial Drone Competition to look out for.
If you've ever replaced your propellers, you may have noticed that not all of the propellers are the same. Some turn clockwise (CW), some turn counter-clockwise (CCW). In order for a drone to fly, the propellers need to rotate in the correct direction. You may also notice that there are letters on the underside of the propellers: F and R. Here's the rule of thumb:
The propellers should always turn towards the middle along the outer edge of the drone. A nice pneumonic device you can use to think about the F and R labels is:
Here's a picture of the propeller lettering, so you know where to find them:
Sometimes what may happen is you get into Blockly, you hit "Pair," and then nothing comes up in the list.
Usually this is because you're using a micro USB cable that's charge-only. Some USB cables are not able to do data transfer, so you can only use them to charge. Our recommendation: use the micro USB cable that comes with the box. If you don't have it, make sure to check that the controller shows up in the list when you plug it into the computer.
If you've got a bunch of commands in Blockly, but when you hit "Run", the CoDrone EDU takes off, but won't do anything else, you're likely not in the LINK state on the controller. The LINK state is used for connecting the controller to a computer, so you can code the CoDrone EDU. Your Blockly (or Python) code is giving commands to the drone by using the controller to broadcast signals to it, but in order to do this, you'll need to be in the LINK state.
With the controller plugged in, press the Power button on the controller until you see "LINK" on the screen, like this.
You're holding L1, but the drone just isn't taking off. You see the controller and the drone lights are both on, but none of the buttons seem to make the drone do anything. Most likely, your drone and controller haven't been paired yet. This often happens when you're swapping controllers or drones, because maybe a teammate's drone hasn't had as many crashes, so it's flying more stably.
The quickest way to know if your drone and controller are paired is to check that R1 is changing the drone and controller LED colors. If it's not, and you're noticing that the drone and controller LEDs are blinking, you need to pair them together.
Pair by pressing and holding the button on the bottom of the drone until it flashes yellow. Then press and hold the P button on the controller, until you hear a chime. Now you're paired! Press R1 a few times to confirm you're able to change the LED colors.
If you're at the event, and you're having issues with this, someone else nearby might be trying to pair as well. So check for that, or if you can, step outside of the gym or into a hallway briefly to make sure the pairing process is successful before heading back into the event.
We also have a full video on how to pair your drone and controller on Basecamp.
You're noticing that the drone isn't flying as fast as it was before, but you're not sure why. If you look at the controller screen, you'll see an S1, S2, or S3 in the top left corner of the screen.
The letter shows what speed you're in. S1 flies at 30% speed, S2 flies at 70% speed, and S3 flies at 100% speed. This can be changed by pressing L1. Oftentimes, you might have accidentally changed the speed of your drone if you were pressing L1 to take off or land, but you let go of the button too quickly.
If you've noticed the controller and drone randomly flashing at the same time in the middle of flight, that's a temporary signal drop. During those (hopefully) brief seconds, the drone won't seem to respond to your controls.
We've worked very hard to try and make signal stability strong for the CoDrone EDU, since it is mainly used in classroom and crowded settings. That being said, there are still limitations to keeping the signal stable, especially when you've got a lot of devices and people around, which is often the case at competitions.
Our recommendation is to always pull out the antenna when flying the drone, whether piloting or coding. Point it directly at the direction of the drone, so it misses as few commands as possible.
This is a common issue if you've been using the drone a lot, especially if you've crashed the drone a lot. The CoDrone EDU can take a decent number of crashes, but it will inevitably start to drift after many crashes.
Trimming the drone using the directional buttons on the controller can help to account for drift. You can check out our video on trimming on Basecamp.
If your drone is still drifting a lot, even after significant trimming, it might be time to replace the motors. Generally, the motors in the direction that the drone is drifting are usually the ones that need replacement, because they may be spinning more slowly compared to the other motors.
You can also check our video on replacing motors on Basecamp.
Oftentimes, the drone's behavior will be less stable when the battery is drained. Specifically, signal stability is less reliable, movements may be less precise because the motors can't get as much power, and commands might not be as smooth or crisp as you'd expect. This is often because the battery is low.
We recommend for best performance, do a run in the competition on as full of a battery as you can. Better yet, it's good to always have a stash of fully charged batteries ready when you're in a competition setting.
Hair! That's the most common thing to get caught in the propellers. Make sure that if you're noticing any flight issues, before trimming and before cracking your CoDrone EDU open to replace a motor, just check that there isn't debris caught under the propellers. Usually a strand of hair or a piece of thread from clothing will get wrapped under the propeller.
The best way to remove it is to just pull off the propeller to remove the hair.
There's a known issue that's resolved with the latest firmware, where the controller will randomly get into a state where the screen on the controller says "Controller Update" with a number that keeps counting up, and there's a loading bar that stays at 0. This is a bug that seems like the controller is updating its firmware, but it actually isn't—the controller has no way of connecting to WiFi. It's a bug that we've fixed with the latest firmware. The screen ends up looking like this:
When the controller does get into this state, it also loses its pairing with your CoDrone EDU. You'll just need to restart your controller by powering it off, and powering it back on. Then you'll need to re-pair with your drone again.
Important: To avoid the issue altogether, make sure to update to the latest firmware for both the controller and the drone. Check out our Robolink Help article on how to update to the latest firmware. Speaking of which...
As we've found bugs and gotten feedback, we've continued to fix issues and make improvements to the firmware, which is the software that's installed on your controller and your drone. Make sure that you are on the latest firmware, so you don't encounter some of the issues that were already fixed from older versions of the firmware.
To update your firmware, you'll need to have access to a Windows laptop or desktop that has a USB port. At the moment, firmware updates are only possible from a Windows machine.
Follow these steps in our Robolink Help article to update to the latest firmware.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the possible issues that may arise, but they are some of the most common. Of course, there are other issues that may arise, so it's important to practice and be as prepared as possible for any issues that may arise.
For other CoDrone EDU related issues, we recommend checking out our Robolink Help page. For Aerial Drone Competition related questions, you can check out the Aerial Drone Competition page.
You should also head on over to our CoDrone EDU Basecamp page, where all of our lessons are for how to use and code the CoDrone EDU, so you can prepare for the Aerial Drone Competition.
Good luck out there, contestants!
]]>If your school doesn't have a VEX Robotics program, there's a high likelihood that another school in a nearby district or an after school program in town has a program. Age groups range from middle school all the way up to university level competitions, and students participate in a series of challenges that change every year, which involve building, coding, and piloting various kinds of robots. There are events at the local level, all the way up to an international championship every year. Think of it like robotics Olympics meets esports, and it looks something like this.
Photo courtesy of REC Foundation
Seriously, check out their Flickr album of this year's event, it's wild!
In recent years, there's been interest from both participants and the REC Foundation themselves in creating a drone event. There are growing applications for drones in the industry, including in agriculture, photography, equipment maintenance, delivery, search & rescue, and more. As I'm sure many schools and teachers have also seen, they've become a topic of discussion in the classroom when covering technology. It's also just really fun to see things fly around, and we've found drones to be a great way to engage students in technology literacy.
With years of experience working with drones in the classroom and the launch of our CoDrone EDU, we were eager to partner up and support the creation of a drone competition in the REC Foundation's arsenal of events. The Aerial Drone Competition launched in 2019, though of course the pandemic necessitated shifting the 2020 and 2021 seasons to virtual events temporarily. However, it did also create a unique opportunity for us to align the launch of our CoDrone EDU with the return of the Aerial Drone Competition back to in-person events. So we're super excited to announce that in the 2022-23 season, the CoDrone EDU is officially an approved drone for the Aerial Drone Competition.
The Aerial Drone Competition is a series of point-based challenges played on a 24 x 24 foot arena, made for middle and high school students.
Photo courtesy of REC Foundation
Each game will have a red alliance and a blue alliance, attempting to rack up as many points as possible. This year's challenge is called Blackout. There's a piloted portion, and a programmed autonomous portion. In the piloted challenge, alliances will have 2 minutes to earn points. Alliances can earn points by collecting as many ping pong balls as possible, flying through keyhole gates, and then landing the drone in 1 of 4 targets. In the autonomous challenge, alliances will have 60 seconds to attempt the same kinds of challenges, but everything must be done through code only—no piloting.
Check out the video below.
The REC Foundation is working tirelessly to create official local tournament events that will occur between October 2022 and March 2023. Teams that compete at the local qualifying tournament can then move on to Championship Events in March - June 2023. As of this writing, there are tournament events in 15 states across the country—more are continuing to be added. You can find the local tournament events at RobotEvents.
For a full explanation of the actual competition, check out the full game manual on the Aerial Drone Competition's website.
At Robolink, we've always felt that learning something highly technical like coding is the most engaging when you can see it come to life, like seeing your code make a drone draw a square in the sky. Competitions are a fantastic way to take a lot of those same motivations for teaching through robotics and turning them into a focused and concrete goal to work towards—the success of VEX competitions attests to that. The Aerial Drone Competition isn't just about doing something fun, it's about learning the hard skills of drone technology, piloting, and coding, as well as the soft skills of teamwork and collaboration.
First, students are learning all of the technical skills involved in practicing for the challenges. They need to learn to pilot the drone, flight vocabulary, conducting maintenance and repair, doing autonomous flight with code, and reading documentation. By submerging themselves in drone technology, they're exposing themselves to an industry that's growing rapidly. Even if they don't go into a drone-related career, the skills of computational thinking, coding, comprehending documentation are all skills that can apply to a wide field of professions.
Photo courtesy of REC Foundation
Secondly, the team aspect of the competition helps develop a students' soft skills. It's no secret that extracurriculars have many tangible benefits beyond just the actual skill a participant learns. Soccer doesn't just make you better at scoring field goals, it also builds character and teamwork skills; playing an instrument doesn't just make you better at playing the instrument, it improves coordination skills, sharpens focus, and if you're in a band, helps develop social skills. Studies show that students involved in extracurriculars graduate at higher rates, have improved concentration, have lower rates of drug or alcohol use, among many other benefits.
The Aerial Drone Competition's challenges themselves also can't be done alone, because some parts of the challenge will be out of line of sight for the pilot, so teams will need to work together to come up with effective communication skills and problem solving as a team to win the most points. Knowing how to navigate a social and team environment is something many employers look for in new graduates, and building those social and emotional skills at an early age is crucial.
For the school itself, creating a club after school is a great way to build on the community atmosphere in the school. In education circles, you may have heard the refrain Maslow before Bloom, as in Maslow's hierarchy of needs first, before Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. It's the idea that even before the actual learning itself, a student's basic need for a sense of safety and belonging to a community must be met.
Picture a physics or math teacher starting a drone club after school, because a few students expressed interest. The club starts with just 4 students, working together to build the practice arena in the gym and practicing once a week. Once students start seeing or hearing about a club after school that gets to practice flying drones, it attracts more students. Maybe these students weren't drawn to athletics or the arts, but flying drones: they're all about it. It gives them a sense of purpose after school. Perhaps other schools in the district also want to join the league and compete, so they create their own club and join their local tournament as well. As a district, all the teams work together to organize a road trip to their regional tournament during their second semester.
This is a very typical story that we've seen happen countless times in various school districts. We and the REC Foundation offer a bunch of resources to help facilitate making that process easier, including webinars, training, and instructions for creating your own practice arena.
The exciting part about this is that we're just in the beginning stages of this partnership—there's so much more to come! The REC Foundation intends to continue growing the Aerial Drone Competition, and we intend to help however we can. We will continue to create more content that will be helpful for participating teams, and we'll continue building features and tools that will help participants in tackling the challenges (without giving away the answers!). We will also offer our expertise in making the competitions even more exciting as the partnership grows. We're very excited for what's ahead!
Head on over to the Aerial Drone Competition page to learn more about the competition and find resources to help your school get started.
]]>The CoDrone EDU is finally available to pre-order in our store!
Wes here! I'm Chief Product Officer here at Robolink. After many months of testing and iterating, testing again and iterating again, the CoDrone EDU is finally here. Our Kickstarter campaign officially closed on March 17, 2022. We raised a total of $76,641! That's 7.6 times our original goal of $10,000.
How does the CoDrone EDU compare to our 2 previous drones: the CoDrone Mini in 2020, and the CoDrone Pro in 2016? I put together this handy dandy comparison chart, which I think will help make it much clearer.
The main recommendation I can make is this: if you want something smaller, more affordable, and easily approachable for younger students, I would recommend the CoDrone Mini. It's a fantastic introduction to coding something that can fly and move in the physical world. If you want something that's a step up, with additional and better sensors, more stable and precise flight, I would definitely recommend the CoDrone EDU. It does everything the CoDrone Mini can do, but better. It also has a ton of additional features that CoDrone Mini does not have.
The CoDrone EDU is the result of many years of feedback and research we've spent over the last 6 years, working with literally hundreds of schools around the world who've used our CoDrone Pro and our CoDrone Mini. Through your e-mails, your phone conversations, your technical support virtual meetings, the user tests you've participated in, the classes you've run, the classes we've run, we compiled a bunch of feedback about what worked and what didn't for our previous drones.
Drones are a fun and engaging way to learn coding and engineering—you're moving around, things are flying, you get to see your code come to life. However, there are also certain parameters about a classroom setting that are unique. These are things a typical small sub-$300 drone manufacturer don't need to think about, because their target is the at-home user, not a classroom. Here's a super condensed version of the main things we learned from all those years of feedback.
While we worked on creating this drone, we tried to keep these parameters in mind. Here's why I'm proud of the CoDrone EDU, and why we are proud to call it "A drone made for learning."
The drone weighs 2 ounces (57 g), and it fits in the palm of your hand. With the beefy guards, even when it crashes into walls, tables, or someone's arm, the propellers won't make direct contact. The guards help it stay bouncy when it does crash or fall to the ground. We've also built into the firmware a failsafe to have the drone's motors shut off when it detects a strong enough crash, and the motors won't spin when it detects that it's upside down.
With the CoDrone Pro, we learned that educators really appreciated the fixability of the drone. However, we also learned there's a threshold where the parts become too modular. When all the parts can be swapped, it introduces too many opportunities for small inconsistencies in balance, weight distribution, and wear & tear of parts being inserted over and over that the drone loses its flight stability over time. With the CoDrone EDU, the parts are more complete pieces, while remaining modular enough that a motor and propeller can still be swapped as needed.
With the CoDrone EDU, once you pair the drone to the controller, they stay paired any time both are powered on. You won't have to re-pair them every time you power on. This saves countless minutes that accumulate over class time where students have to pair every time they start a class, swap a battery, unplug a controller, switch drones, etc. We know those minutes add up.
We use radio signal for the CoDrone EDU, which offers much stronger signal stability for the classroom setting. You won't have to worry about dropping your connection when there are multiple drones in the room, or having to re-pair your drone when a connection drops. In our tests, we were able to get up to 15 drones in a classroom—not that we recommend flying that many at once!
Pro tip: we recommend having a flying half of the room and a programming half of the room. This way, the people with their heads down aren't in the same area where drones are flying around overhead.
I like to think of a drone as a flying set of sensors. Sensors make coding a robot—in this case a drone—much more engaging. With better and additional sensors, the CoDrone EDU can detect color, detect obstacles in front of it, and even check the height below it. In the coming months, we'll be creating a ton of activities and lesson plans based on these sensors to teach various STEM topics, such as graphing data, writing an algorithm to navigate a maze, using the color sensor to check on crops, and much more!
If sensors are your input, then sounds and LEDs are your output. With the drone's LED and ability to generate sounds, you can use them to code different cues and notifications for when certain things are detected and triggered. Imagine landing on a field of crops, detecting that the crops below are yellow instead of green. You program the LED to blink red, and the drone plays an alert sound, letting the pilot know that this crop needs more water. These audio and visual cues will really help with activities based around applications like equipment inspection, agriculture, and more.
We know that educators need content and standards-aligned material to plan out their lessons. We hope to make that job easier by providing tons of ideas for doing just that. In the coming months, we will be creating not just activities using the drone's various features, but also standards-aligned lesson plans that teachers can pull from for planning out their curriculum. You'll find all that content on Basecamp.
The CoDrone EDU is currently in production, and will ship out in late May. You can purchase one ahead of time in our store.
]]>Originally posted Apr 23, 2021
While there are many ways to foster a student’s interest in technology, Robolink focuses on online tutoring, and fun hardware kits. During San Diego’s spring break, Reality Changers enlisted the help of Robolink to offer 24 students a CoDrone Mini and enrollment into our Spring Break Camp, learning how to code drones using Python!
Reality Changers, a San Diego based organization that prepares students to become first-generation college graduates, has been providing local youth with positive peer role models with their three-state college readiness program.
Reality Changer’s students wanted to broaden their coding skills while working together in groups. By joining Robolink’s camps, they were able to drone coding with Python in small teams of 4 students per instructor.
“I have a little background in drones. I am extremely interested in them so the opportunity to be able to code a mini drone was amazing. I even get to keep my own mini drone!” ~ Reality Changers student
In Robolink’s camp, students learned about the drone industry while learning how to program flight commands, LEDs, sensors, and sound using Python.
“Coding isn’t as intimidating as it seems and it can also be very enjoyable.”, “I liked being able to code something and see it work”, “I learned how to code a drone using a program called python. I also learned how to use my drone with my keyboard. I did all this while having fun” ~ Reality Changers students
Learning how to code in Python, creates a transferable skill to many fields like App design, game development, AI technology, and builds 21st century skills.
“This coding camp was absolutely awesome, (…), I really really like building and creating robots, the process and the end results of constructing robots is just a joy to participate. Still, this robot isn’t going anywhere, unless it was coded. My levels of understanding of code greatly increase, I feel like I barely scratch the surface of coding, but this camp formulated an itch in my mind that I really want to scratch and develop even further, that itch being coding of course. Thanks again for this awesome opportunity! ~ Reality Changers student
These students are currently in the 11th grade and are planning for their college careers. By attending Robolink’s camps, students were able to narrow down their field of interest.
“Thank you so much for making this learning opportunity possible (…)! This camp taught me a lot about the basics of Python and it allowed me to really confirm that I want to pursue coding/computer science as my future career/college major. (…). I am very thankful for how you have helped me and hope you continue making this opportunity possible for future low income/first generation college students.“ ~ Reality Changers student
Robolink would like to offer it’s sincere gratitude to Reality Changers for partnering and entrusting us to teach the engineers of the future. Your students were a delight to teach and we’re so happy we were able to have the opportunity to help build their tech skills.
Come join the fun in Robolink’s Summer Camps!
]]>Originally posted Feb 15, 2021
Ever since the pandemic hit the world and gave unprecedented adjustments everywhere, schools and the education field has been very much affected – every school experiences were treated differently as students are not allowed to be physically at school. With the present situation, learning takes place at home and teaching is done virtually. A lot of school activities are done this way as well, including the kids’ favorite – Summer camps! A number of institutions have offered virtual summer camps which started last year. But the most recent famous summer camps involve STEM programs that allow kids to be exposed to STEM learning from home.
STEM is an approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM camps are the best avenue to introduce kids to the world of advancement such as coding and programming. There are a wide variety of lists for all ages, experience levels and interests. These are opportunities to learn to code, design video games, experience digital animation and more. In fact, searching the web on virtual summer camps will give you multiple options to choose from. Trusted websites like http://stemkitreview.com/ will give you loads of ideas for the best STEM camps.
Want to know the best STEM camps for your kids? Recently, Robolink has been featured as one of the best virtual camps around the corner. Having their mission as making STEM education accessible, engaging and fun, Robolink made sure that it will rise above the challenge to still cultivate technology to the next generation of innovators and inventors amidst the uncertainties of COVID-19. That’s why they’ve put up virtual summer camps to continue influencing young minds to learn and explore the world of STEM.
Robolink offers real-time, instructor-led online activities where kids can learn the latest technology at the convenience of their own homes. Choose from afterschool and weekend camps, holiday camps and summer camps. And the best part in virtual learning is, you can learn from home, real-time, anywhere around the world! Robolink’s summer camps also offer unique, stand-alone projects and activities so your child can engage with other kids as well.
The program also lets your kids mix and match classes to find out which program they prefer. Not to mention Robolink’s set of instructors are also one of the reasons why their summer camps are on top of the list. They are cream of the crop, certified tech education professionals and engineering/computer science students from major universities that were trained meticulously to ensure your kids have the greatest experience.
Robolink’s summer camps are definitely a venue for your kids to learn new skills, exploring the world of STEM while having fun all at the same time. They will surely gain lots of knowledge, experiences and friends too!
For more ideas on how to keep your kids engaged in fun STEM projects, visit 7 Awesome Kickstarter Projects For Kids by Balint Horvath, PhD.
References:
http://stemkitreview.com/best-online-virtual-stem-camps-jan2021/
]]>Originally posted Jan 27, 2021
This week, we interviewed Dr. Suzanne Banas to get her insights on the best tactics to get grants.
Questions that should be answered are: Why do you want this in your classroom? Where do they fit? Why do you use drones? Why do you use virtual learning? Why should we give it to you?
How would you use the grant with your data? Where does this fit? Does it fit the engineering program? Is it innovative? What makes it different from something else? Why do you need it? For example, Dr. Suzanne’s district has a school that’s doing drone racing, so a drone is a need of that school.
It’s easier to get grants at $5,000 or less. You have to build on that assumption. What can you get from that $5000? What are you putting into it? For Dr. Suzanne, they don’t put laptops or computers because that’s what the school is giving. You have to know what you are putting into the grant. Very few want to start a program so why not go with it. Have them written in reports. Know your demographics, know your plan then know what you are going to do with that grant.
Are you going to have rubrics? Are you going to have a data sheet? Are you going to produce some videos? What things are you going to produce and how are you going to evaluate that the programs are worthwhile? With Dr. Suzanne’s district, they do a lot of assessing attitudes toward coding before and after. It’s not like pre and post tests. It’s more on how do students feel about coding? What do you like about coding? Do you know how to code before and after? Make sure you have a good assessment and they have to be based on your objectives
They typically want them in a short time span. What is your timeline?
What makes it innovative? If you are looking for a grant for virtual learning, you have to show how virtual learning is innovative. How is it different? Is it global and collaborative virtually?
They have to look at the needs of the school. Does the school have drones? 21st century skill is coding. How can kids learn that? How safe is it? Having students stay at home is a great way that they don’t have to pass the drones back and forth. Most robots have electronics. How do you sanitize something electronically? You can use UV light but it’s a lot of work because you have to take them apart and sometimes it doesn’t clean them enough.
How to set up the computer to set up Zumi remotely? For Dr. Suzanne, kids can control her robot in her classroom. But the question is, with being home quarantined, where would you set up the robots? You don’t want to bring a lot of teachers together to do the setup because that’s a lot of money.
You should know who you collaborate with. For instance, Zoom doesn’t work with kids outside of Dr. Suzanne’s school system so they have to use Skype. Are you going to collaborate virtually with someone else? Are you collaborating middle school to high school in your district or middle school to middle school in another place? That collaboration might be a great way to move forward with it.
Know how you are going to engage kids at home. How do I create things that virtual kids can do? How can you engage virtually? They need to have something physically, not just plain observation as they wouldn’t want to observe all throughout the course.
]]>Originally posted Jan 19, 2021
At Robolink, we focus on teaching STEM in a fun and meaningful way. The skills our students learn help them choose college majors, gain scholarships, and build the foundation needed to guide their path into future careers.
This week, we would like to feature our student Holly, who designed a program that replicated the CoDrone Mini underwater, gaining her a merit scholarship to attend her preferred college.
Tell us about your project using the CoDrone Mini.
Holly created a program that simulated the bob-in-water motion with the CoDrone Mini. “I made it so the drone would fly as though it were in water.”
What inspired you to use the CoDrone Mini?
“I was in a summer camp… I had interest in it.” Holly spent a week at Robolink’s virtual summer program, where students learn Blockly and Python coding using the CoDrone Mini.
What challenges did you face when coding the CoDrone Mini to replicate it being under water?
“Getting it to go back to the correct height.” Holly spent the week learning how to code and came up with her own original program that accurately simulated the drone’s adaptation to water.
How did your instructor help you through this journey?
“I did not previously have any experience with drones.” Robolink’s instructor Joe, taught Holly how to code the CoDrone Mini. Holly spent extra care on her program to make sure she had a final prototype ready for the last day of camp. Joe says “The code worked really well!”
Got any hot tips for anyone that wants to follow in your footsteps?
“Make a (guide/blueprint) to reference.” Planning ahead is the key to a successful project. Holly carefully planned every step so she could focus on what’s important. She also made sure to keep her work so she could show it in her college interview. The skills learned at camp show college recruiters that the student is very focused on their major and would be a great addition to their college.
We wish Holly the best on her future STEM career. From 1hr webinars, to online private tutoring, to college counseling, we’re here to help guide our students futures!
]]>Originally posted Jan 12, 2021
We are very excited to introduce something we’ve been cooking up for the last few months. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from parents who have wanted to have a better understanding of where their kids are in their classes and what kinds of things they are learning. So we’ve created what we’re calling “CoDronia”. Behold!
CoDrone is a collection of various islands where drones live, each with challenges that need to be solved by learning a different concept in coding. Students who go on this adventure will learn how to use flight variables to land on platforms on one island; on another island, they’ll learn how to use red, green, blue values to control the drone’s lights and create a rainbow; on yet another island, they might learn how to program their keyboard to be their drone remote. Each island has a unique set of challenges to complete, and along the way, you’ll get a passport to track your progress.
At the start of your journey, you’ll be given two items: a passport and a lanyard. The traveler’s passport will be given to you to track your progress on your adventure through CoDronia. In it you’ll find various maps of the three regions of CoDronia.
The lanyard will be for you to place the metallic badges that you’ll earn along your journey through CoDronia, when you’ve reached certain milestones and completed various challenges.
These are the badges that you’ll earn at each of the milestones. They’re metallic, sleek, and will go nicely when pinned on your lanyard, which you can show off proudly.
In the back of the passport, you will also find a section for achievement stickers. These achievement stickers are optional challenges that you can attempt once you’ve met the requirements. For example: once you’ve learned about flight commands, you can attempt to earn the “Perfect Landing” achievement by landing perfectly in a target. Or if you’re into basketball, you can attempt to fly your drone through a hoop using code. There are even achievement stickers for perfect attendance or bringing a friend onto your team.
Finally, at the end of each month, all students with Robolink who have earned badges or achievements will receive their awards at our virtual award ceremony. There, they’ll be anointed with their newly earned badges and achievements, and have a chance to show off their accomplishments to instructors, fellow students, and attending parents.
So come on our adventure, won’t you? Our first journey to CoDronia starts in February!
]]>Originally posted Nov 23, 2020
Computer Science Education Week 2020 is coming up quickly (before you Google it, it’s December 7-13 this year) and we’re excited to be celebrating national computer science with you! For the first time ever, we will be offering hour-long coding classes for five days so you can experience #CSEdWeek and Hour of Code. The entire family can learn how to make their own games, code a virtual world, or fly a drone!
All of our Hour of Code activities are held at 4:00 PM PST and are $20/household. Use code CSEW30 to sign up for 3 classes for $30 total.
Our Hour of Code activities are filling up fast, so make sure you register soon on our website. We’ll see you during Computer Science Education Week!
]]>Originally posted Oct 20, 2020
What robotics programs try to implement in schools is a vibrant, engaging, and fun environment in classrooms. Robots can evoke and nurture curiosity in students and bring them closer to hands-on experiential learning.
It is essential that we recognize the future requirements of the tech world and teach students to be competent to handle those requirements. That’s one of the missions that robotics can achieve.
Robotics in the classroom has a plethora of benefits for students and education, and here are some of the ways in which those benefits are showcased.
Developing the right skills will prepare students for the competitive educational and professional society. Robotics boosts skills that are the foundation of success, such as critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
When working on a robot, students are encouraged to use logic, engineering intuition, and critical thinking. Moreover, they are thought to be led by a strategic problem-solving mindset.
Some robot kits like Rokit Smart are perfect for teaching students to think like engineers. Robolink’s Rokit Smart has a full set of tools for building robots that challenges students to create different robotic creations. With a variety of options, they’ll have to use their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to build them all.
The mistakes they make in robotics creates room for learning and exploring different possibilities until they come to a solution. Aside from problem-solving and critical-thinking, robotics also stimulates logical and analytical reasoning, higher-order thinking, and computational thinking.
Overall, robotics urges students to develop abilities that are crucial for many professional areas.
How can students know if robotics interest them if they never gave it a try? Many teachers and parents encourage students to pursue programming and robotics without giving them a chance to decide whether they like it or not.
Introducing robotics in education can help students find their passion early on. Who knows how many children would be natural in robotics, but they never had an opportunity to express their talent.
For example, Robolink’s CoDrone or CoDrone Mini can give students a chance to see their code come to life. By observing the results of their efforts, they can realize that they wish to turn that satisfying feeling of bringing objects to life into a career.
Robotics is a complex field that relies on many different capabilities. Through experimenting with robotics, students can discover their strengths, whether they lie in engineering, programming, math, or interest in innovative technologies such as 3D printing or drones.
Programming is the job of the future. However, students can find it boring and overwhelming if you teach it in a traditional method that relies on theory and abstract notions.
Allowing students to experiment with physical robots and observe the results of their programming effort can change their perception of programming, machine learning, and AI (artificial intelligence).
Take Zumi as an example. Zumi is a self-driving car kit that allows both younger and older children to learn about basic robotics, Python coding, machine learning, and more. It can make learning fun and help with an immediate understanding of students’ mistakes.
With robotics, students can interact with electrical as well as mechanical procedures. Intertwining theoretical learning with a practical application can give them a sense of how fascinating programming can be.
Students who can’t attend lessons due to physical or health problems won’t be denied of “real school” experience. Educational robotics can ensure that each and every student gets the same educational experience regardless of potential obstacles or student’s inability to attend school.
The solution lies in personal robots. This device can substitute the student in the classroom and provide the student with direct transmission of the classes via a dedicated internal video conferencing system. In addition to using common online tools like Subjecto to help them with writing and homework assignments, students can actually be present for the lessons.
Whether students have a permanent condition that doesn’t allow them to go to school, or they temporarily have to stay at home to recover from surgery, they won’t miss a single lesson.
If students want to learn robotics but can’t attend classes, there is a solution. That’s why options such as Robolink’s Virtual Learning exist. Robolink specifically works with certified coding and engineering instructors that can give any child a chance to learn robotics from their homes.
Students with special needs can be provided with new levels of learning, thanks to robotics. Their learning path can be customized based on their personal needs. By creating educational content that meets the individual’s requirements, students with special needs will have better opportunities for advancement.
For example, children with autism can interact with special technological devices that will form their responses based on students’ actions and reactions. Consequently, students’ social and communication skills will enhance.
Robot-assisted therapy for autism has already been put in motion, and the Nao robot is proof. This two-foot-tall robot can talk, walk, dance, and engage kids in many activities that improve their ability to maintain appropriate eye contact and read facial expressions.
Jonah Colson, a robotics and ROS developer, contributor writer at SupremeDissertations and BestEssaysEducation, and special needs assistant, explained how robotics can also help students with attention disorders. “Specially designed robots can act as constant companions for students with attention disorders. Through this experience, children can learn how to stay focused as the robot will ensure to keep their attention,” said Jonah.
When properly conducted, robotics promotes a culture of teamwork. Working in groups to put their robot projects in motion will give students valuable lessons in teamwork.
Robolink encourages group work even through their previously-mentioned Virtual Learning possibility. They offer virtual group classes as they recognize the value of teamwork.
Robotics can help students realize the importance of relying on others, respecting their ideas, and valuing everyone’s contribution. Moreover, they will learn how to listen to others and communicate their ideas.
All of these skills can help them further in life, whether they are interested in robotics or not. Learning how to show respect for their team and recognize the power of collaboration can be an immeasurable life lesson.
Robotics has the power to make education more meaningful and relevant to the future needs of society. It embraces bringing high-quality and interactive learning to schools. Additionally, it boosts students’ skills and knowledge that are necessary for their personal and educational development.
With robotics, students can identify their areas of interest, build informed career paths, and work on reaching their full potential. Robotics in education can help with shaping technology leaders for tomorrow.
Marques Coleman is a professional writer who specializes in technology and education. Marques is cooperating with some of the top essay writing websites, including EssayAssistant, TopEssayWriting, ClassyEssay, TrustMyPaper, where he uses his practical industry skills to help students write research papers. When he is not working, Marques dedicates his free time to educate himself on innovative technological changes in education by attending conferences and interviewing leading experts in the industry of technology and education.
]]>Originally posted Jul 20, 2020
It’s been four months since the stay-at-home order in the United States (can you believe?). By now you have probably baked too much bread, named every bug in your neighborhood, and watched everything on Netflix and Disney+. If you need something else to do, we have a new product that can help.
Behold: CoDrone Mini!
CoDrone Mini is small on size and big on code. It is lightweight, durable, and (most importantly) can flip. It comes with a remote so it can fly straight out of the box, but like all of Robolink’s products, it is made for teaching you how to code. CoDrone Mini can be programmed with Blockly (drag-and-drop coding) and Python (text-based coding) so you can learn about flight directions, programming fundamentals, and how to customize flight paths and your drone’s LED.
The best part: you don’t have to learn CoDrone Mini alone! We are now offering CoDrone Mini 1:1 virtual classes in both Blockly and Python. You will work online with one of our fantastic instructors at your own pace on topics that interest you while learning how to program and fly CoDrone Mini. Classes are once a week, and a CoDrone Mini is included in the cost. Because it’s virtual, you will get to fly from the safety of your own space while talking to someone who doesn’t live with you. Register for classes on our website.
Stay safe and we’ll see you online!
]]>Originally posted Jun 22, 2020
In case you missed it on our social media pages and in our newsletter, Rokit Smart has been named one of the best robot toys for building STEM skills by the Wall Street Journal! Rokit Smart is Robolink’s first robot kit, and we’re joined by major companies like Sphero, Ozobot, and LEGO Mindstorms in this list.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out the ability to program Rokit Smart with Arduino (close to C and C++) and how the robots can be programmed to navigate paths and mazes, but did you know:
One of our favorite parts of Rokit Smart is what comes after all 11 robots are finished. This is when students start to apply everything they learned to create amazing robots with all of the Rokit Smart pieces, and then they program them to move. We’ve seen animals, vehicles, a kitchen robot, and even a swimming robot (it was on top of styrofoam and it worked!).
Robots and AI are already everywhere — today’s kids are already used to a Roomba cleaning up after them or getting show recommendations from Netflix. Learning to build robots helps them understand how they work, and learning to program them gives them the skills to solve problems, think critically, and innovate.
Ready to learn Rokit Smart? We’re offering virtual classes! $199 includes the price of the robot ($120) and one month of lessons. Sign up for virtual classes here and let’s start building!
]]>Originally posted Mar 28, 2020
Robolink awarded 2020 Cool Company by Connect
San Diego, CA – May 28, 2020 – Robolink has been selected as a 2020 Cool Company by Connect, a community nonprofit organization passionate about helping tech and lifesci entrepreneurs build great companies. Connect serves entrepreneurs throughout their growth journey with a suite of curated programs aimed to help companies grow, gain access to capital, and scale. Around 300 applications were submitted to the Cool Companies program, and 60 companies were awarded this honor. Robolink was recognized by both Connect and the program’s sponsors for its mission to teach K-12 students about AI through Zumi, their self-driving car kit.
Cool Companies is an annual capital program designed to match San Diego’s best technology and life sciences startups ready to raise Series A — with quality venture capital. The program selects top tier, local entrepreneurs raising institutional funding, and grants them opportunities for direct access to capital providers. The program regularly attracts over 200 VCs to the region annually. Since 2016, Cool Companies have raised over $400M, in just Series A institutional funding.
“We’re honored to be selected as one of the cool companies in San Diego,” said Hansol Hong, founder and CEO of Robolink. “This is one of the most reputable awards for startups in San Diego, and we hope this will be lead us to the next level.”
Within the past year, Robolink has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Purdue University Engineering Gift Guide, San Diego Business Journal, and Fresh Brewed Tech. Zumi won the Best of Innovation Award for the Robotics and Drones category at CES 2019.
Robolink was established in 2012 in San Diego, California to encourage students to engage with STEM. We make fun and approachable robotics kits that bring computer science to life and teach real industry competency. They’re also at the cutting edge of technology! We were the first to make a programmable educational drone as well as a self-driving car kit that teaches artificial intelligence. Our mission: make STEM education accessible, engaging, and fun for all. We teach programming and artificial intelligence through our robots, work with teachers all over the world, and ship kits to (almost) all seven continents.
Learn more at robolink.com and follow us on social media @robolinkinc.
]]>Originally posted Apr 21, 2020
Earth may be closed due to a certain virus, but Robolink is open! Kind of. Instead of holding classes at the center, we are following the lead of schools around the world and holding classes online.
Why should I take a virtual class?
Check out our virtual class options:
Zumi + Live Virtual Class Package | 10 Hour Zumi + Python Programming Live 1:1 Training | 10 Hour Python Programming Live 1:1 Training | |
Class size | 4 students, 1 teacher | 1 student, 1 teacher | 1 student, 1 teacher |
Time of each session | 1 hour per week | 1 hour per week | 1 hour per week |
Number of sessions in package | 4 | 10 | 10 |
Learn Python | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Learn how to program Zumi | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Comes with Zumi | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Current price | $229 | $499 | $379 |
Learn more about all of our classes and register at https://shop.robolink.com/collections/virtual-classes.
See you online!
]]>Originally posted Mar 20, 2020
We hope this finds you and yours healthy and quarantined. We know the past week has been a little chaotic, to put it mildly, as more of the world is affected by COVID-19 every hour. We are monitoring developments and we strongly encourage you to listen to WHO and CDC advice as well as your elected officials.
As of today, Friday, March 20, 2020, all of California’s approximately 40 million residents are under lockdown. Essential services, like food and medical establishments, are still operating. Robolink is neither so we are closing our learning center until we are notified that we can open again.
If you are currently a Robolink student, you will still be able to take classes with us! All of your lessons are online on Google Hangouts with your regular instructor. Before each session, you will receive an email with the link to join. This is what you will need to attend with Google Hangouts:
Because of the nature of online learning, lessons may not be as hands-on as usual. As this situation proceeds, we will be able to come up with innovative solutions that will help you learn robotics and programming while staying safe.
If you ordered a kit from us before March 20, 2020, it has been sent out. If you are planning on ordering from our website in the near future, please expect a slower delivery time as we are only sending products out once a week. If you need a kit faster than that, we recommend going through Amazon.
Finally, we know that being at home can be incredibly boring. We are looking into offering pre-recorded tutorials with live support so people all over the world can build robots and learn code from one of our incredible instructors. We’re also looking into pre-recorded videos that you can watch on your own time. We’ll keep you updated.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns at info@robolink.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Wash your hands.
Robolink
]]>Originally posted Feb 20, 2020
Don’t ignore the latest update to Zumi (1.6) — Blockly for Zumi is now available!
If you haven’t used Blockly before, it’s drag-and-drop coding that’s similar to Scratch, Snap, and what robots like Ozobot, Dash and Dot, and Sphero are using. This is what Blockly looks like, with the block menu on the left side, the workspace in the middle, and Python translation, navigation, and the trashcan on the right. We also added an output screen on the bottom if you have a print statement or want to see what is going on with your Zumi.
Blockly for Zumi has a few different menus that are specific to Zumi, and more will be added in later updates to include the full AI experience. The driving menu has all of the commands you need to drive Zumi — even parallel parking!
The shapes menu allows Zumi to drive in a couple of pre-programmed shapes and maneuvers, like the J-turn that always shows up somewhere in a James Bond movie.
The screen menu allows you to change Zumi’s eyes or display a message on the screen.
The sounds menu lets you program to play either one note or a series of notes that match one of Zumi’s emotions. Try pairing a sound with a set of eyes!
The lights menu has a bunch of different ways to program Zumi’s LEDs. You can add turn signals, headlights, and (hopefully you won’t need these) hazard lights.
Try one of these programs that will have Zumi drive in a square with some special effects:
And to see what your program looks like in Python, which is the other programming language that Zumi is compatible with, click on the Python icon on the lefthand side of Blockly:
]]>Originally posted Jan 29, 2020
The future of automation and AI is bright. Everything from cars to personal assistants is enabling automation and the use of machine learning. Companies such as Uber and Amazon are dabbling in automation and AI, reducing workloads and wait times, attempting to predict what you want, when you want it.
Drones for Delivery
Imagine this: You purchase something online, and within hours, a drone delivers your order straight to your door. The drone is completely autonomous, dropping off the order at your doorstep and then returning to a warehouse. This future is not far off, and companies such as Amazon are already testing autonomous drones.
Autonomous Cars
Tesla cars not only have a self-driving feature but can be remotely summoned, driving to the owner’s location. Ride-summoning services such as Lyft and Uber are testing autonomous vehicles, such as through Google’s Waymo program. It’s possible that the future of ride summoning may not have any drivers, offloading the driving onto AI. Self-driving cars are becoming more common, but the technology still needs improvement before complete widespread use. Even robot kits for kids are teaching the next generation how to program self-driving cars using machine learning.
Ordering Food
Fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s are testing kiosks that would eliminate the need for a human taking an order. A touchscreen enables a customer to customize and place their order, in theory speeding up the process. It is not dissimilar to self-checkouts at grocery stores. The entire process is automated, save for the actual cooking of food.
Customer Service Chatbots
In retail environments, whether it’s a brick-and-mortar store or an online storefront, AI-based chatbots can help find products or troubleshoot, answering common questions or knowing when to escalate to a human customer service representative for complex issues. The future could hold AI that can answer questions and perform tasks, such as finding a lost order, canceling orders, or troubleshooting problems with the item, taking more responsibility for all but the most complex of problems.
Better Personal Assistants
Personal assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home systems can already recognize the voices of different users. Automation can be set to turn on lights when a user returns home. However, it’s not true AI—yet. While Alexa can’t carry on an actual conversation, it may not be long before personal assistants can respond intelligently instead of with a canned response. It may seem like science fiction, but an AI personal assistant that anticipates your needs and uses natural language is in the pipeline.
Getting Ready for the Future
With AI and automation becoming pervasive in our lives, those entering the workforce must have the skills to continue creating and upgrading autonomous systems and AI. Preparing for the future could be as simple as learning how to build and code a programmable robot, teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills that will be highly valuable in the future.
About Robolink
Robolink has been encouraging students to engage with STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) since 2012. Their goal is to make STEM education accessible, engaging, and fun, and they are passionate about robotics, education, and engineering. Each entertaining, educational robot kit Robolink offers is packed with real tech, great for both students and hobbyists alike. The San Diego-based team believes in nurturing future inventors and innovators. Robolink operates two hands-on learning centers in San Diego and also runs after-school programs in 15 elementary and middle schools in San Diego County.
Learn more about Robolink’s robot kits at robolink.com
]]>Hour of Code events are happening all over the world, all the time, but they most often occur during Computer Science Education Week, which was between Dec. 9 and 15, 2019.
]]>Originally posted Dec 20, 2019
Hour of Code events are happening all over the world, all the time, but they most often occur during Computer Science Education Week, which was between Dec. 9 and 15, 2019. The program’s goal is to demystify coding and broaden participation in computer science.
Robolink makes it fun to learn using a robot kit, drone kit, or self-driving car kit with easily accessible tutorials. If you’ve ever wanted to build and fly your own drone or build your own mini smart car, Robolink can help you have fun while learning real-world STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) skills during any Hour of Code event. If you missed Computer Science Education Week, don’t worry—you can learn to code at your own pace and participate with your own Hour of Code.
CoDrone Drone Kit
Robolink’s CoDrone drone kit is programmed using the Arduino, Blockly, and Python programming languages. Arduino and Python are text-based languages, while Blockly is a visual drag-and-drop programming language. New programmers can learn how each line of code plays out in the air, quickly loading new code into the drone and seeing the effects. If the drone behaves unexpectedly, new programmers can use problem-solving and critical thinking skills to find and correct the problem with their newly learned programming skills. Lesson plans and a teacher guide are available for all CoDrone languages.
Zumi the Self-Driving Car
AI is already all around us, from a Tesla car’s autopilot to the voice recognition in an Amazon Echo to some of the mobile games you play on your phone. Robot kits for kids offer a great way to introduce AI concepts to students and can also be perfect for teaching AI concepts to adults. With Robolink’s newest addition, a programmable self-driving car robot named Zumi, new programmers up for a challenge can delve into the world of artificial intelligence.
Using Python, coders can program Zumi to learn faces, optimize routes, and even detect colors. With machine learning, Zumi continues to learn more as she’s used, performing tasks more competently with repetition. Zumi enables new coders to learn the basics of AI, as well as mapping and navigation, machine vision, machine learning, and self-driving car decision-making. Although AI is a complex topic, especially for beginners, Robolink provides step-by-step tutorials and a full curriculum for teachers.
Rokit Smart
Want to learn engineering while learning how to code? Robolink’s Rokit Smart programmable robot is the perfect way to introduce multiple STEM concepts. The Rokit Smart uses Arduino and comes with 11 premade blueprints for building the bot. However, the building aspect is only limited by your imagination. Whether students are using blueprints or their imagination, they can program the bot to do what they want, from simple mechanical motions to navigating an obstacle course or entering into a sumo fight with another robot.
Get Robolink’s robot and drone kits for your classroom at robolink.com
]]>Originally posted Nov 20, 2019
The inaugural IEEE Zumi Competition at UCSD on Saturday, November 9, 2019 was a huge success! We were so impressed with all of the competitors and we’re already excited for next year.
Here are your 2019 winners!
Overall awards
Most Outstanding Programming Award: Eric Lee
Best Presentation Awards: Riana Acquista, Tomas Choi
Rising Stars: Alexandra Heinlein-Mushkin, Alistair Keiller
Sportsmanship Award: Bryan Yoo, Aiden Williams
Middle school:
1st place: Minjoon Kim
2nd place: Riana Acquista
3rd place: Aiden Williams
High school
1st place: Bryan Yoo
2nd place: Eric Lee
3rd place: Rishi Halker
]]>Less than ten years ago, people had no idea how far modern technology could move. Drones seemed unrealistic and unattainable for many of them.
]]>Originally posted Nov 6, 2019
(From guest contributor Richard Browny)
Less than ten years ago, people had no idea how far modern technology could move. Drones seemed unrealistic and unattainable for many of them. However, every user can buy a professional drone camera for creating panoramic photos and amazing videos. According to the best drones review, there are many great options in different price segments. Here is the best drone camera list for you.
It is important to note that novice users should focus their attention on ready to use drones. You do not need to spend a long time assembling a device. All you need is to charge a battery of your drone camera and install propellers.
MJX Bugs 8 is probably the smallest drone with a camera. It is aimed at novice users. This fact affects the cost of this device positively. The flight speed is 28 miles per hour. The battery allows this drone camera to work for 14 minutes in the air. The remote control can be carried out at 1640 feet distance.
Ryze Tech Tello is positioned as one of the best solutions in the budget segment. It is worth noting that this model has a special app for synchronizing the device with a smartphone or tablet and two antennas. Also, a powerful battery is included in the drone camera kit. It guarantees the device 13 minutes of stable flight.
If you are looking for a reliable and affordable drone camera, turn your attention to Syma X8Pro. This stylish model, implemented in a few bright, colorful variants, fulfills all tasks set by developers very effectively. This device attracts users with perfect build quality (protection of four propellers, ABS plastic, and four landing supports). You can use this model in different conditions and be sure of its strength. High-quality backlighting and simple operation are advantages of this GPS camera drone.
Hubsan X4 Air Pro H501A has a professional HD camera (1080p) and many advanced features. A long flight duration, a presence of several operation modes, powerful brushless motor, as well as affordable cost, lightweight, remote control, reliable battery are the main advantages of this drone camera. Many users prefer it because of such good characteristics.
When choosing a remote control camera drone, you cannot ignore this model. DJI Mavic Air has a rather good flight range, which reaches up to 2.5 miles. At the same time, this advanced device can speed up to 42 miles per hour. Unlike most analogs, this gadget supports 4K format with a 3-axis stabilization system. Developers equipped the drone camera with 8 gigabytes of internal memory. Moreover, it is very compact in size and has a good battery.
Undoubtedly, this spy drone with a camera deserves your attention. Walkera QR X350 Premium can create 1920×1080 videos. The flight range is about 1.3 miles. The maximum flight time is 25 minutes. The built-in stabilizer is an undoubted advantage of this model. Moreover, this drone camera has a durable electric motor. The total weight of this device is 2 lb.
This latest drone camera, CoDrone by Robolink, deserves special attention, as it is fundamentally different from other gadgets. In addition to excellent technical characteristics, this device will surprise you with its ability to program it according to your requirements. Moreover, users must assemble this quadrocopter itself and remote control themselves. It is a great drone camera for those who are interested in programming and design. Do not worry, if you have little experience in such activities, Robolink provides lots of interesting tutorials and templates.
Now you are familiar with the best devices. If you want to buy good a quadrocopter, you should pay attention to many criteria. Here are the most important ones. Ease of use is especially important for beginners. Make sure that remote control camera drone has built-in GPS navigation function to monitor the exact location of a gadget in flight.
Choose a lightweight and portable device. Large drones are heavier, and you will need a backpack to transport them, while small versions can be placed in your pocket or small bag. Pay particular attention to a stabilizer. According to Wikipedia, it can soften shaking from sudden movements or strong gusts of wind. As a rule, one or two batteries come with each drone camera. Of course, there are much more things you should remember about, such as build quality, camera features, battery characteristics, and the availability of additional accessories. Do you have a drone camera? What did you pay your attention to when buying such devices? Share your tips with other users.
Author’s bio: Richard Browny is a blogger and expert in the field of modern gadgets and innovative technologies. He is interested in various novelties and shares useful information with his readers, creating lists of the best devices. Besides, the author publishes reviews of the most popular gadgets very often.
]]>Originally posted November 2019
As a robotics company, what we know to be true is that in five to ten years, AI will be everywhere. It already is! Why do you think Netflix knows that you like “Action Comedies for ages 11 to 12”? Companies are already hiring people that can work with artificial intelligence, especially programmers and engineers.
One of the fields that will progress the most with the help of AI is self-driving cars. These tests are popping up in some US cities, and companies from Tesla to Volkswagen are planning to introduce their own autonomous cars within the next six years. Lyft is already sponsoring scholarships for qualified candidates to go through Udacity’s self-driving car nanodegree program, and they are one of the rideshare companies projecting driverless fleets by 2030.
Keeping all of this in mind, we designed Zumi, our new self-driving car kit, to teach students about artificial intelligence in a way that is easy to understand, engaging, and fun. Zumi will help users gain basic literacy in AI and self-driving cars, which will then get their foot in the door to companies that are essentially changing the world. We want kids to be at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and leading technological advancement. It sounds like a long shot, but this is what people were saying about coding in 2009.
We love a good competition, and we think Zumi is up for the challenge! Our first Zumi competition is based off of Uber and Lyft drivers picking up their passengers. Relevant scenarios like this one will help students connect with real-world problems and keep them engaged, even when the challenge that they face is difficult.
Information about the competition is below. Keep an eye out for the results on our next blog post, and we hope to see you there!
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2019
Time: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Henry Booker Room, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
Program your Zumi to pick up passengers and drop them off at designated locations for points. Participants can earn extra points by obeying stop signs, not crashing into any walls or objects, or honking to alert the passenger that they have arrived. Everyone will get two attempts for the known routes, and a final bonus round where the pickup and drop off locations will be revealed before their run! All of the Zumis must be driving autonomously (no remote control allowed) and no modifications can be made to the robot.
Awards will be given to first through third place winners, as well as for video presentation and programming creativity winners.
"We have a lot of suspicion of robots in the West. But if you look cross-culturally, that isn't true. In Japan, in their science fiction, robots are seen as good. They have Astro Boy, this character they've fallen in love with and he's fundamentally good, always there to help people."
- Cynthia Breazeal, Assoc. Professor of Media Arts & Sciences @ MIT
Editor's Note:
Today’s blog post is written by Karen Hinh, our high school intern from Athenian School in Danville, CA. She’s a highly proactive student of STEM and an active member of a First Robotics team at her school. She’s awesome.
Women’s History Month celebrates women of all racial, ethnic, and educational backgrounds on their contributions to society, a tradition that dates back to 1981. Though celebrating women’s successes and achievements is important, it is not enough to offset the gender inequality that can be found throughout the entire world, whether it be in a household, workplace, or government.
For instance, did you know that women typically spend three times or longer on household chores than their male counterparts? Or that, though over half of college students are women, only 29% of the STEM workforce is women?
Representation is important, and we all need to support young girls and women in pushing back these statistics and creating an equal world for all. Here’s just a few women we find inspiring.
A friend of Robolink (!), Rosanna Myers was educated at Duke, majoring in Political Science, and has won events and titles including the Duke Start-Up Challenge, the Best Startup of CES award, and the Top 50 Robotics Companies in the Global Robotics Industry review.
She is best known as the CEO and co-founder of Carbon Robotics, a startup that creates advanced robotics that are more affordable and accessible, though she began her journey as an entrepreneur and engineer by creating The Green Cooling Group, where she invented environmentally-friendly technology to cool water and other fluids over a hundred times more efficiently.
Dr. Catherine Ball was educated at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, holding a BSc Honours in Environmental Protection and a PhD in Spatial Ecology, Descriptive and Predictive Statistics. She has been named as the Telstra Queensland Business Woman of Year; one of the 100 Women of Influence; Innovator of Influence of 2015; and many more titles.
Dr. Ball is best known for her work on the drone industry, having propelled it forward with projects revolving around unmanned drones exploring remote areas. She is an innovation and environmental science consultant, though above all, she is a strong advocate for diversity and underrepresented communities in the business and STEM fields.
Ayah Bdeir was educated at the American University of Beirut, having majored in Computer Engineering and Sociology, and has also obtained a degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the Computing Culture Group at the MIT Media Lab.
She is best known for founding littleBits, a company that brings simple electronic building blocks to the world in order to make education and innovation more accessible. She was named a Tribeca Disurptive Innovation Honoree, Inc. Magazine’s 35 under 35, and also appears on CNBC’s Next List.
Carol Reiley was educated at Santa Clara University, having earned a Computer Engineering degree, and is now a Computer Science Ph.D. candidate at the Johns Hopkins University, specializing in robotics and computer vision. She is the President and co-founder of drive.ai, a startup that focuses on – as the name implies – self-driving cars with artificial intelligence!
She is an advocate for diversity and those underrepresented in the tech industry, and has done so in many ways: two TEDx talks, papers published for biomedical engineering, three technical patents, and various features from magazines and news organizations.
Lisa Winter is an avid roboteer, most well known for her performance in BBC’s show BattleBots. She’s a self-taught machinist and fought her first robot battle at age 10 against 30 year old opponents after being inspired by her father, Mike Winter, who won the first Robot Wars in 1994.
Winter now works as an Engineering Project Manager at Mattel for her day job, though she plans to pursue her interest in making prosthetics for animals.
In these celebratory spirits, we hope you are inspired to take action as well and to follow your passions, whether it be in the STEM field or not! Empowering others means empowering yourself, and we at Robolink aim to support you in your journey.
Keep being curious about the world and become lifelong learners, and of course, celebrate all the women in your life!
"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."
- Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People
We’re finally here in San Francisco! It’s been an arduous journey, full of moving boxes, logistics, and long hours of driving, but Hansol and I are at last somewhat settled in, and we’re on Week 1, Day 3 of the HAX Boost program. We’ve had a chance to meet all the other startups in our cohort, attend orientation, got a few free delicious meals, and are now well on our way into the program.
The HAX Boost facilities
The HAX Boost work space is located in San Francisco’s SoMa district, which stands for South of Market, a major street that bisects downtown San Francisco. Major cities in the US have a tendency to make catchy abbreviated names: SoHo, Dumbo, and TriBeCa in New York City, LoDo in Denver and Seattle—it’s weird. Of course, San Francisco is no exception. There’s SoMa, NoPa (North of Panhandle), and of course Tenderloin + Nob Hill equals TenderNob (ew?).
But I digress!
HAX Boost is a program under the VC firm SOSV, which has several global accelerators under its umbrella. In this particular office, it includes HAX Boost, the hardware accelerator we’re in, and IndieBio SF, a synthetic biology accelerator.
Here are some shots of where we’ll be working for the next 6 weeks. It’s pretty awesome!
Here’s a shot of the main workspace, where the cohort of startups’ desks are located.
This is the front of the office, which features an open lounge area, and an under-construction storefront, where the HAX Boost alum’s products are on display.
Next to the main working area are the products of the current hardware startups. Rokit Smart and CoDrone are featured right in the middle!
Arguably the most important part for me personally: the basement kitchen.
What we’re learning this week
This week, we’re focusing on getting the folks at HAX up to speed on where we are as a company, so we can polish the story that we tell to retailers and link up with appropriate mentors. At our orientation, we went through an overview of what the schedule will encompass and a high-level overview of the resources available to us. We’ll be meeting with important people and industry leaders throughout the course of the program, such as experts in marketing, retail, sales, and other HAX alums. We also did a self-introduction by each of the startups in the cohort—many of which are working on some really neat stuff, such as Diabeto, which tracks diabetes stats using your phone’s data connection; Galaxy ZEGA, a mobile and remote control tank game that’s currently in Apple Stores in China; and iBaby, which is a child-monitoring system that is currently selling in Babies “R” Us.
The program director, Kate Whitcomb, briefed us on the inside-scoop of how the retail process works. She has an extensive background in the buyer and retail world, having been both a buyer as well as served as the Growth & Innovation Lead in the IoT (Internet of Things) team. Understanding the standard industry process, what things to look out for, learning the lingo, and seeing the decision making process from a buyer’s perspective will be helpful as we make our foray into the retail space.
We also rehearsed a 2-minute pitch, which is a time boxed pitch where we attempt to pitch our product to either a customer, retail buyer, or investor. While it didn’t go poorly, looks like we’ve got areas for improvement and refining to do before the story and pacing is truly compelling. It’s exciting, because in addition to all the meetings we’ll be having, with HAX’s connections, investors and retailers are always coming by their office to check out what things they’re working on. So there’ll be plenty of opportunities to perfect our pitch.
TLI (today I learned) in San Francisco
Here are some quick things we’ve learned since being in San Francisco.
That’s it for this week! We’ll be back next week with Robolink goes to SF: Week 2! Stay tuned, and don’t forget to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to keep up with our adventure.
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