The Tello drone has lengthy been the gold commonplace for drone schooling in Ok-12 school rooms. Inexpensive, sturdy and geared up with a digicam, it checked all of the bins for educators seeking to train every part from fundamental flight rules to autonomous coding. That’s maybe no shock, because it got here from an organization known as Ryze which constructed Tello utilizing DJI elements — presumably the right combo for a drone at a excessive ratio of high quality to value.
However there’s been an issue: the unique Tello app is now not supported on newer working techniques, and the Tello drone itself has been discontinued, making it more and more tough to buy.
For educators who’ve constructed their curriculum across the Tello, this created a severe dilemma. What do you do when your trusted classroom drone turns into more durable to search out? Thankfully, many faculties proceed to maintain their Tello fleets flying by way of refurbishment applications and new instruments just like the FlyCode app, which breathe contemporary life into this confirmed platform.
Enter FlyCode, a brand new app from a STEM schooling firm known as Drone Legends that’s designed to unravel precisely this downside.
How Drone Legends has revived Tello with Flycode
FlyCode is a free app out there on each iOS and Android that provides Tello drones (together with the Tello EDU and RoboMaster TT) a brand new lease on life. The app works on iOS 13.0+ and Android 10.0+ units with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi help.
In contrast to the unique Tello app, FlyCode is constructed particularly with academics and college students in thoughts. Educators truly helped design it, which reveals in options like the power to pre-load as much as 10 Tello drones into the app. College students can merely choose their assigned drone from a listing, faucet and go. That’s a game-changer for managing classroom drone fleets.
“FlyCode is a breakthrough for faculties and Tello customers in every single place,” stated Scott Buell, Founder and CEO of Drone Legends. “We constructed this app to unravel the issues academics face when bringing drones into their school rooms — unreliable software program, poor multi-drone administration and a scarcity of coding integration.”
Why having a drone with a digicam issues
Right here’s one thing that always will get neglected in discussions about instructional drones: imaging is roughly 80% of business drone functions. Whether or not you’re speaking about infrastructure inspections, search and rescue operations, cinematography or orthomosaic mapping, the digicam is vital.
Whereas platforms like Crazyflie Nano and CoDrone provide coding capabilities, they lack cameras. For applications that need to use drones as a device past merely studying to code, that is likely to be inadequate. Sure, autonomous flight and coding expertise are vital, however they’re solely a part of the equation.
The Tello’s digicam — modest as it might be — makes it a real illustration of what real-world drone work appears like. FlyCode ensures educators can proceed utilizing this whole platform.
BlockCode integration coming in November
The preliminary FlyCode launch focuses on the “Fly” part, providing seamless handbook flight management. However the true pleasure is available in mid-November when Drone Legends will roll out BlockCode, their proprietary block-based coding atmosphere.
In contrast to present block coding options comparable to Scratch, Tynker or DroneBlocks, BlockCode is custom-built particularly for drone schooling — not tailored from Google Blockly. It’s designed to be extra superior and, crucially, extra dependable than present options.
Maybe the most important comfort? No extra switching between separate flight and coding functions. All the things will likely be built-in into one streamlined interface, decreasing technical complications and holding college students centered on studying somewhat than troubleshooting.
The Tello provide downside
There’s an elephant within the room: you may’t simply purchase Tello drones anymore. DJI quietly discontinued them, leaving educators questioning what comes subsequent.
Drone Legends has stepped in to ensure school rooms aren’t left grounded. The corporate reserved its remaining Tello stock completely for faculties utilizing its STEM Fundamentals program — that means educators can nonetheless get dependable drones backed by full curriculum help somewhat than attempting to piece issues collectively on their very own.
Even higher, each Tello bought by way of Drone Legends consists of the choice so as to add the DroneCare Restore, Exchange, and Recycle program, designed to maintain Tellos flying and out of landfills. When a drone is broken, it’s repaired or changed. If or when it’s past restore, elements are recycled to cut back e-waste. It’s a sensible, sustainable strategy that retains know-how investments viable and school rooms operating easily.
Founder and CEO Scott Buell advised The Drone Lady that Drone Legends will proceed supporting Tello till a brand new platform meets their strict instructional requirements.
“We’re not abandoning ship,” he stated. “We’re holding Tellos flying.”
The underside line
FlyCode represents greater than only a alternative app. It’s an announcement that the Tello nonetheless has an important position to play in STEM schooling, and that Drone Legends is dedicated to supporting educators who’ve invested on this platform.
With the core engine now constructed, Drone Legends can also be positioned to help future drone platforms as they emerge. However for now, their focus is evident: hold the Tello flying in school rooms around the globe.
FlyCode is offered now as a free obtain on the App Retailer and Google Play. The BlockCode coding atmosphere will likely be added through replace in mid-November 2025.
For extra details about Drone Legends’ instructional applications, go to dronelegends.com.
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