Technology
DJI’s New Drone for Kids Is a $500 Tank That Fires Lasers and Pellets
The king of quadcopters is betting on a build-your-own set to get students excited about robotics.
DJI’s RoboMaster S1.
Photographer: Victor Prado for Bloomberg BusinessweekThis article is for subscribers only.
DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, has come down to Earth.
On June 11, the company most closely associated with quadcopters plans to unveil a toaster-size robotic tank called the RoboMaster S1. Made of plastic and metal, it has four wheels, a rectangular base, and a gun turret that can swivel and fire lasers or tiny plastic pellets. Unlike DJI’s flying drones, which do everything from taking pretty pictures to fertilizing fields, the RoboMaster is part teaching tool and part battle bot. The odd contraption ships as a kit that people must assemble, learning about robotics and software along the way.