When Your Kids Say They Want A Tank

The latest creation from drone king DJI is a bit more DIY.

- Ashlee Vance

DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, has come down to Earth.

On June 11, the company most closely associated with quadcopters unveiled 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.

“By doing the assembly process, you get to understand what each part is used for and what the principles are behind it,” says Shuo Yang, one of the lead engineers. “We want it to look like an interesting toy that then teaches basic programming and mechanical knowledge.” Once built, the RoboMaster S1 can be used to blast away at other S1s during some good, old-fashioned at-home family combat.