Key Takeaways
1. Robolink and Texas Instruments have partnered to teach drone programming using TI Nspire CX II calculators and CoDrone Edu mini drones.
2. The CoDrone Edu is compact, lightweight, and has a flight time of up to 8 minutes with a communication range of 164 ft.
3. TI Nspire CX II calculators feature a 3.2-inch LCD display, support multiple programming languages, and are approved for standardized tests.
4. Students can learn Python programming by downloading a module onto their calculators and connecting to the drone’s controllers.
5. A menu-driven function lookup system is available to help students reduce coding errors while programming drones.
Robolink has teamed up with Texas Instruments to provide students with a way to learn drone programming using just the TI Nspire CX II graphing calculators (available for purchase on Amazon) and CoDrone Edu mini drones.
CoDrone Edu Specifications
The CoDrone Edu is compact, measuring 5.5 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches (138.5 x 138.5 x 34.8 mm) and weighs a mere 2 oz. (57 g). It can fly for up to 8 minutes and has a communication range of 164 ft. (50 m). Recharging it takes about an hour, and the batteries can be changed out easily, with additional sets for sale. A dozen drones can be bought for $3,999, while a single drone is priced at $249; however, prices may change based on how many are bought.
TI Nspire CX II Features
The TI Nspire CX II graphing calculators feature a 320 x 240 3.2-inch LCD display, 64 MB of RAM, and 90 MB of internal storage. They run on a specialized ARM9-26EJ-S SoC and support a variety of programming languages like Python and TI-Basic. These calculators are commonly found in classrooms due to their approval for use in standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Educational institutions can order packages of drones to integrate with these calculators.
Learning Python with Drones
Many schools have chosen Python as a straightforward programming language to help students get started with coding software. Students just need to download the Python module onto their calculators and connect them to the drone’s controllers to begin programming. There’s also a menu-driven function lookup system, which aids in reducing coding mistakes when writing Python code.
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