Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Emerging Tech
  3. Features

How do you get kids into coding? Tynker and Parrot let them use it to fly drones

By

As drone prices continue to drop, the popularity of the flying devices has yet to wane. Couple this love of remote-controlled flying with the desperate need of today’s kids to pursue careers with STEM (science, technology, English and math) skills, and two companies saw a unique opportunity. Educational software maker Tynker has partnered with drone maker Parrot to combine drones with programming education in multiple ways, allowing both schools and parents at home to teach kids to code through drones.

Srinivas Mandyam, Tynker co-founder and CTO, said its software is equipped with a comprehensive school coding solution that makes it easy to integrate computer programming into any classroom with grade-specific programming courses. More than 60,000 schools teach programming using Tynker.

“The school curriculum is built for educators, with no previous programming experience needed,” Mandyam said. “Kids ages seven and up can start learning Tynker’s block-based coding language, then move up to Swift, JavaScript and Python. Tynker helps educators automatically assess student skills, create multiple ‘classrooms,’ easily import students and see useful metrics.”

“The school curriculum is built for educators, with no previous programming experience needed”

Mandyam noticed that many schools were looking at drones as way of teaching robotics in Makerspaces. Factor in kids’ fascination with flying and the low cost of Parrot drones like the Mambo MiniDrone, and this partnership was born. Tynker software works exclusively with Parrot drones, including the Mambo, Swing, Airborne Night, Airborne Cargo, Jumping Race, Jumping Night, Jumping Sumo and Rolling Spider. And thanks to a new $150 consumer bundle that includes the Mambo Minidrone and a six-month subscription to the Tynker platform, it takes this educational element out of the classroom and into the home.

“With this partnership, instead of having kids use pre-made remote controllers, we created a flight simulator course where kids can virtually program a drone from their tablet,” Mandyam explained. “The same code works on real drones, allowing kids to apply their code right in front of their eyes. The pairing of Tynker and Parrot has already been a big hit with students and teachers.”

Jerome Bouvard, director of Parrot education, said the Mambo Minidrone offers a variety of impressive features, tricks and maneuvers that encourage imagination and creativity during play.

“These are a perfect fit for Tynker’s coding platform,” Bouvard explained. “Through Tynker, these tricks and functions become commands that children can use in a new way to create and solve problems.”

Tynker Parrot partnership education
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Through the many years of working in education, Mandyam learned that kids thrive off of hands-on play, so coding their own drone to do whatever they please is truly fun for them. As an added bonus, it also allows children to get outside and stay active, bringing the positive benefits of traditional play back into educational tech.

“Parents can rest easy knowing their kids are playing with an educational toy that teaches them crucial STEM skills that will help boost their computational and problem solving skills,” Mandyam added. “Because kids of all ages enjoy flying drones, this bundle presents a great opportunity for families to spend time learning together.”

Tynker’s platform was designed around gamified, block-based coding language, which Mandyam said targets kids as young as seven years old through an education tactic they can easily grasp. Tynker can also be easily integrated into popular games like Minecraft, where kids can explore coding through yet another vertical.

“Once kids fully grasp Tynker’s language, they can seamlessly move up to learn Swift, JavaScript and Python within the Tynker platform,” Mandyam explained. “This allows for uninterrupted learning. More importantly, at each step of the way, kids are creating fully functional programs such as games, interactive stories, robot controllers, and Minecraft games that are fun for them.”

“The same code works on real drones, allowing kids to apply their code right in front of their eyes.”

Just a year after the launch of its Parrot education program, Bouvard has seen more than 400 schools in North America integrate Parrot products in their curriculum.

“K-12 educators are using this technology to get students interested in STEM, robotics and engineering,” Bouvard added.

Now what begins in the classroom can continue at home, giving a much different meaning to that dreaded word, “homework.”

“With our interest-based learning approach, we hope to inform kids everywhere that learning about STEM can and should be fun and attainable by all,” Mandyam said. “We absolutely encourage girls to take part in this education, just as much as we encourage boys to. This is the first time Tynker is bundled with a physical toy, which opens up an entire new world of possibilities.”

Mandyam said building a childhood interest in STEM has long-term benefits; given that the IT skills gap between available IT jobs and employees to fill them is projected to reach 1 million by 2020, an interest in STEM could very well translate into a job down the line.

Drones also tap into the current focus to attract more girls at a very young age to pursue STEM learning and develop the skills needed in today’s booming technology sectors.

“The gender gap in regards to women vs. men working in STEM is still quite large,” Mandyam admitted. “With this, kids are still being raised in environments where it’s not as common to see female leaders in tech. It takes extra effort to expose kids (both girls and boys) to the ideology that anyone and everyone can, in fact, be in this industry. Luckily, we are seeing more organizations pop up to encourage kids to become more involved in STEM, in addition to consumer-friendly products such as our bundle. Products like our bundle make programming less abstract and therefore more attractive to kids, making it an especially effective way to teach kids STEM concepts.”

Combining computing, drones and education may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s the first time these things have been bundled in such a way that “homework” takes on a whole new meaning for parents and kids.

Want to get your kids into coding? Digital Trends has a rounded up the top STEM toys for kids, plus 5 of the best learn-to-code apps.

Topics
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Former Digital Trends Contributor
John Gaudiosi has been covering video games for over 25 years, dating back to his work for The Washington Post while in…
Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

Read more
Volkswagen plans 8 new affordable EVs by 2027, report says
volkswagen affordable evs 2027 id 2all

Back in the early 1970s, when soaring oil prices stifled consumer demand for gas-powered vehicles, Volkswagen took a bet on a battery system that would power its first-ever electric concept vehicle, the Elektro Bus.
Now that the German automaker is facing a huge slump in sales in Europe and China, it’s again turning to affordable electric vehicles to save the day.Volkswagen brand chief Thomas Schaefer told German media that the company plans to bring eight new affordable EVs to market by 2027."We have to produce our vehicles profitably and put them on the road at affordable prices," he is quoted as saying.
One of the models will be the ID.2all hatchback, the development of which is currently being expedited to 36 months from its previous 50-month schedule. Last year, VW unveiled the ID.2all concept, promising to give it a price tag of under 25,000 euros ($27,000) for its planned release in 2025.VW CEO Larry Blume has also hinted at a sub-$22,000 EV to be released after 2025.It’s unclear which models would reach U.S. shores. Last year, VW America said it planned to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.The price of batteries is one of the main hurdles to reduced EV’s production costs and lower sale prices. VW is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants, as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.But in order for would-be U.S. buyers to obtain the Inflation Reduction Act's $7,500 tax credit on the purchase of an EV, the vehicle and its components, including the battery, must be produced at least in part domestically.VW already has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennesse, and is planning a new plant in South Carolina. But it’s unclear whether its new unified battery cells would be built or assembled there.

Read more
Nissan launches charging network, gives Ariya access to Tesla SuperChargers
nissan charging ariya superchargers at station

Nissan just launched a charging network that gives owners of its EVs access to 90,000 charging stations on the Electrify America, Shell Recharge, ChargePoint and EVgo networks, all via the MyNissan app.It doesn’t stop there: Later this year, Nissan Ariya vehicles will be getting a North American Charging Standard (NACS) adapter, also known as the Tesla plug. And in 2025, Nissan will be offering electric vehicles (EVs) with a NACS port, giving access to Tesla’s SuperCharger network in the U.S. and Canada.Starting in November, Nissan EV drivers can use their MyNissan app to find charging stations, see charger availability in real time, and pay for charging with a payment method set up in the app.The Nissan Leaf, however, won’t have access to the functionality since the EV’s charging connector is not compatible. Leaf owners can still find charging stations through the NissanConnectEV and Services app.Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya, and most EVs sold in the U.S., have a Combined Charging System Combo 1 (CCS1) port, which allows access to the Tesla SuperCharger network via an adapter.Nissan is joining the ever-growing list of automakers to adopt NACS. With adapters, EVs made by General Motors, Ford, Rivian, Honda and Volvo can already access the SuperCharger network. Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Volkswagen, and Jaguar have also signed agreements to allow access in 2025.
Nissan has not revealed whether the adapter for the Ariya will be free or come at a cost. Some companies, such as Ford, Rivian and Kia, have provided adapters for free.
With its new Nissan Energy Charge Network and access to NACS, Nissan is pretty much covering all the bases for its EV drivers in need of charging up. ChargePoint has the largest EV charging network in the U.S., with over 38,500 stations and 70,000 charging ports at the end of July. Tesla's charging network is the second largest, though not all of its charging stations are part of the SuperCharger network.

Read more