Unleash your new Crazyflie and hit the skies Coding!

So you’ve received your new Autonomous Drone Kit – Level II containing the Crazyflie micro-drone – the newest addition to the DroneBlocks classroom-friendly drone fleet. Next, you’ve reviewed the basics of unboxing and prepared your drones for flight in the Building Flying & Coding Course…and now, you’re ready to launch! Join Clinton Evans as he teaches you how to program your new micro-drone to fly using Python scripts. This course contains everything you need in order to learn the basics of coding your Crazyflie drone, including downloadable exercise files, setting up your code editor, installing environments, and understanding the Crazyflie Client Application. You will be taking off and flying in circles in just a few short, easily digestible lessons. 

Course creator Clinton Evans explains that the goal of this course is simple: Get teachers and students up in the air with their Crazyflie and experience autonomous flight at its simplest. “With a few lines of code, they’ll be up in the air.” Throughout the course, students will develop a stronger understanding of how drones receive data from radios, update firmware, and learn to fly using the CrazyFlie library. Students will even be introduced to the Python Turtle library in order to view their drone’s flight path on screen as the drone flies in real time. Once students have mastered the basics – they’ll gain some insight into managing up to ten or more drones at a time!

It’s important to note that the Crazyflie drone stands out for its exceptional precision in autonomous flight, surpassing the capabilities of drones like the DJI Tello. Its advanced sensors and robust programming enable students and teachers to experience highly accurate and responsive flight patterns, especially in complex maneuvers. This precision is crucial for a classroom, offering a clear demonstration of how coded instructions translate into physical actions.

This introductory course is the first of a new slate of exciting STEM drone curriculum featuring cutting-edge new drone hardware thanks to DroneBlocks’ new partnership with Bitcraze featuring the Crazyflie. This palm-sized microdrone is a sturdy yet lightweight, open-source flying machine with potential just waiting to be tapped by the young engineers sitting in your classroom. We hope you enjoy tinkering as much as we sure have!