Makeblock

Makeblock Co. Ltd.
Private
Industry Robotics, Education
Founded 2013 (2013)
Founders Jasen Wang
Headquarters Nanshan iPark
Shenzhen, China
Area served
 Worldwide
Website makeblock.com

Makeblock is a private Chinese technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, China, that develops Arduino based Hardware, Robotics Hardware, and Scratch based Software, providing Educational tools for learning programming, engineering, and mathematics through the use of Robotics.[1][2][3]

Makeblock has been the recipient of international design awards and its products are sold in over 140 countries.[4] Currently, it has over 4,500,000 users worldwide.[5]

History

Jasen Wang (Wang Jianjun - 王建军), born in 1985 in Anhui, China, earned his master's degree in Aircraft Design at Northwestern Polytechnical University in 2010. Wang spent a year in the workforce before starting Makeblock in 2011. His aim was to encourage and allow people to turn their ideas into physical products.[6]

Wang is a self-described robotics enthusiast and hardcore maker, he remains a product manager in the company. During 2013, Wang was ranked as one of the top 30 entrepreneurs under the age of 30 by forbes China.[7]

After founding the Makeblock brand, in March 2012, $23,000 was raised in a round of funding from HAX. The company received widespread international media coverage when it launched a robotics construction platform named Makeblock during December of the same year.[8]

2013

Makeblock successfully launches a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter, becoming the first Chinese entity to ever do so.[8]

2014

Makeblock launches mBlock, officially entering the educational market in February.

2015

First launch of mBot and mDrawbot in April. By December, Makeblock’s products are sold in over 80 countries and the brand has partnered with over 1,000 educational institutions.[1]

2016

First launch of mBot Ranger in March. In May, Makeblock becomes the exclusive robotics building platform of the RoPorter competition at Washington Post’s Transformers event.[9]

The first physical experience store opened in Shenzhen in June, marking the first entry into the mass consumer market. At this stage, Makeblock products are sold in over 140 countries and utilised in more than 20,000 schools.

October sees the launch of Airblock, followed by the release of mBlock in November.[1]

2017

Makeblock Neuron is launched in March, 2017 - shortly after, the product wins an array of internationally recognised awards including the German Red Dot,[10] American ISDA IDEA,[11] Good Design Award (Japan)[12] and the South Korean K-Design Award.[13]

MakeX - a Chinese national robotics challenge for teenagers is launched in May.[14]

In July, a partnership with SoftBank Group heralds an official entry into the Japanese market.[15] This is followed by a set up of subsidiaries in the U.S., Europe, Hong Kong and Japan in August.[1]

Codey Rocky is released in November. By December, the number of global Makeblock users, surpasses 4.5 million.[16]

Products

STEAM Kits

Codey Rocky

Codey Rocky is a robot aimed at allowing children to learn the basics of coding and AI technologies.

The robot is composed of two detachable parts: Codey, a programmable controller holding more than 10 electronic modules and Rocky: a vehicle that can transport Codey - it has the ability to avoid obstacles, recognise colours and follow lines.

Codey Rocky is programmable with mBlock 5 and with its use, users can experience the IoT.[17]

Makeblock Neuron

Makeblock Neuron is a programmable platform of more than 30 electronic building blocks. The product is targeted towards children and has colour coded blocks aimed at easier understanding.

Each of the blocks have various built-in features and have the ability to interact with each other. The kit also has IoT capability.[18]

Airblock

A winner of 4 international design awards,[19] the Airblock is a 7-module programmable flying robot. Magnetic connectors allow the drone to be assembled in different ways. It can be controlled via Makeblock’s app.[20]

mBot

An educational robot kit aimed at users aged 8+. mBot includes 3 pre-set control modes and Makeblock’s signature, block-based programming.[21]

mBot Ranger

Part of the mBot series, the Ranger is aimed at users aged 8+. This robot kit consists of three pre-set construction forms along with the ability to be expanded with ten expansion interfaces.[22]

Ultimate 2.0

The most complex robot of the mBot series is aimed at users aged 12+. It includes an assembly guide of 10 designs that can be further customised and adjusted. The kit contains more than 160 mechanical parts and modules, including Makeblock’s MegaPi mainboard - providing compatibility with Arduino and Raspberry Pi. Along with Makeblock’s block-based programming, Arduino IDE, Node.js and Python languages are supported.[23]

Maker Kits

DIY Platform

A kit comprising over 300 mechanical parts, more than 100 electronic modules and more than 20 creative kits. The DIY Platform is a programmable mechanical building block platform. It is compatible with Arduino and Raspberry Pi but, but the product is also aimed at those without any coding experience.[24]

XY Plotter Robot Kit

A programmable drawing robot kit with the ability to draw at an accuracy of 0.1mm.[25] The drawing robot can move a pen, pencil or other tool to translate digital artwork on a flat surface. With an upgrade pack, the kit can transform into a laser engraver.[26]

Inventor Electronic Kit

Marketed as a ‘Creative DIY electronic module kit’, the Inventor kit includes 12 electronic modules and 1 Orion main control board. Users are able to program with Makeblock’s block-based programming or Arduino IDE.[25] MIT Scratch and Ardublock graphic programming languages are also supported, and anything built can be controlled via smartphone or tablet using Makeblock’s app.[27]

Software

mBlock 5

mBlock 5 is a block-based and text-based programming software based on Scratch 3.0. mBlock 5 allows users to program Makeblock robots, Arduino boards and micro:bit. Using mBlock 5 without any hardware, users are able to code games and animations. The block-based code can be converted to Python code, be connected to IoT and supports AI-functionality such as face and voice recognition, as well as mood sensing. It supports various operating systems including macOS and Windows.[28]

mBlock 3

mBlock 3 is a block-based programming software based on Scratch 2.0. mBlock 3 interacts with Makeblock controller boards and other Arduino-based hardware, allowing users to create interactive hardware applications.The block-based code can be converted to Arduino C and supports various operating systems including macOS, Windows, Linux and Chromebook.[29]

mBlock Blockly

mBlock Blockly allows users to learn about programming via courses designed as levels of a game. The visual programming language taught is specifically created for Makeblock’s robots and the courses were designed by education professionals.[30]

Neuron App

The Neuron App is a flow-based programming application with IoT support. It has the ability to control over 30 electronic modules.[31]

STEAM Education

STEAM education is a learning movement that branched out of the STEM learning concept. Education professionals felt that STEM, on its own, missed critical attributes that are thought to be necessary in order for individuals to truly prosper in a rapidly changing modern society.[32] STEAM encompasses the areas of Science and Technology, Engineering, the Arts, along with Mathematics and encourages a merge of these fields in an attempt to suit the learning style of every type of student.[33]

Makeblock describes itself as a proponent of STEAM and focuses on being a leading provider of hardware and software products that aim to allow students to engage in practical, hands-on learning rather than the traditional main focus on theoretical knowledge.[34]

Robotics education was perceived as a major trend amongst markets during 2017.[35] Makeblock is considered an industry leader within this field and the area of STEM or STEAM education.[15][36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". www.makeblock.com.
  2. ↑ "Chinese start-up Makeblock aims to help students learn programming for robots". scmp.com.
  3. ↑ "Sequoia-Backed China Robot Startup Said to Be Raising New Funds". washpost.bloomberg.com.
  4. ↑ "Makeblock, Interview with CEO Jasen Wang". FinSMEs. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  5. ↑ "Makeblock Showcases Award-Winning STEAM Education Solutions at CES 2018". Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  6. ↑ "Jasen Wang - Founder & CEO @ Makeblock | Crunchbase". Crunchbase. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  7. ↑ "About Us". www.makeblock.com. 2018-03-27.
  8. 1 2 Dougherty, Dale (2016-09-27). Free to Make: How the Maker Movement is Changing Our Schools, Our Jobs, and Our Minds. North Atlantic Books. ISBN 9781623170752.
  9. ↑ "The Washington Post's RoPorter Competition". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  10. ↑ Ltd., Makeblock Co.,. "Chinese Robotics Startup Makeblock Wins Two Red Dot Awards for Excellence in Product Design". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  11. ↑ "Best of the Best: #IDSAIDEA 2017". Industrial Designers Society of America - IDSA. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  12. ↑ "Educational programming electronic blocks [Makeblock Neuron]". Good Design Award. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  13. ↑ "K-DESIGN AWARD - Neurons". 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  14. ↑ "Makeblock Official Blog". blog.makeblock.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  15. 1 2 "Makeblock Launches the Airblock Drone in Partnership with SoftBank in Japan - DRONELIFE". dronelife.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  16. ↑ "Makeblock Showcases Award-Winning STEAM Education Solutions at CES 2018". Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  17. ↑ "Codey Rocky - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  18. ↑ "Makeblock Neuron - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  19. ↑ "Makeblock Neuron and Airblock Win Two iF Design Awards 2018". www.roboticstomorrow.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  20. ↑ "Airblock - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  21. ↑ "mBot - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  22. ↑ "mBot Ranger - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  23. ↑ "mBot Ultimate - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  24. ↑ "DIY Platform - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  25. 1 2 "Maker Kits - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  26. ↑ "XY-Plotter Robot Kit 2.0 (No Electronics)". store.makeblock.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  27. ↑ "Makeblock Inventor Electronic robot kit - STEM / DIY educational programmable robot kit". store.makeblock.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  28. ↑ "mBlock 5 - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  29. ↑ "mBlock 3 - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  30. ↑ "mBlock APP - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  31. ↑ "Neuron APP - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  32. ↑ "What is STEAM?". educationcloset.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  33. ↑ "https://steamedu.com/about-us/faqs/". steamedu.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27. External link in |title= (help)
  34. ↑ "Our Mission - Makeblock". Makeblock. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  35. ↑ "Makeblock raises $30 million for robot-building kits for kids – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  36. ↑ "Makeblock partnered with Granteq in UAE and Oman to promote STEM integrated learning and MakerSpace". granteq.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
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