In light of the growing interest in drones, Meraque, ranked one of the world’s Top 20 drone companies, has launched a unique Meraque Drone EduKit which will inspire children in Malaysia to assemble, code and fly their drones – all within 15 minutes.

“The Meraque Drone EduKit is designed by former educators and child development experts, and tested by kids,” said Md Razalee Ismail, Meraque Chief Executive Officer.

“It offers kids the chance to learn more about simple and complex circuits, coding and programming in a safe environment. The thrill comes in watching their drones take flight and when they pull off seamless 360-degree stunt flips!” Razalee explained.

Designed and customised to engage children of various ages, Meraque’s Drone EduKit now includes a complimentary 3-hour session and fun learning activities to provide a little bit of a challenge.

Learning modules include drone rules, safety, components and control, technologies in a variety of drones, and application in industry. “We are committed to inspiring that curiosity in future engineers and inventors – giving them the building blocks to engineer and customise their drones, while simultaneously learning STEM concepts like aerodynamics, weight distribution, lift tolerance, and more,” said Razalee.

As part of its corporate social responsibility, Meraque launched the Malaysian Young Generation Drone Technology Career Development Program in February this year to train 500 youths with the necessary skill-sets in drone technology and services by 2023.

Meraque is collaborating with Kelab Rakan Udara Malaysia (KRUM) with schools under the Ministry of Education (MOE) and MARA Junior Science College (MRSM), as well as the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) to realise this.

Going forward, Kelab Udara Malaysia will be using Meraque’s Drone EduKit in all primary and secondary schools nationwide.

The learning sessions will now be expanded to Selangor from November, incorporating best practices from the pilot sessions held in three schools in Johor this April.

“We want to discover and shape young talent in technology across the country as the global market potential for drones is huge and Malaysia can position itself competitively in this space. Tinkering with drones is a great way to spark their interest and confidence as they learn by doing,” said Razalee.

The Do-It-Yourself Meraque Quadcopter Drone Frame is compatible with major building block brands.

The easy-to-assemble kit offers lasting re-use value, allowing parents or caregivers to also be involved. The Meraque Drone EduKit is suitable for birthdays, holidays and for any budding hobbyists, allowing them to go back to play with them again and again.

The learning sessions will be conducted at MRANTI Park’s Makerslab at Bukit Jalil and EduCity at Iskandar, Johor which offer full facilities. Sessions are tailored for kids from ages 7 to 18 years old and conducted by Meraque’s certified trainers in Bahasa Malaysia and English. This programme can also be conducted at schools, colleges and community clubs with 15 to 20 pax per group.