Test of the Dji RoboMaster S1: not cheap, but unfortunately brilliant

My eyes began to sparkle as I finally held the big white box containing Dji's RoboMaster S1 in my hands. If I'd known what was in store for me, I'd probably have shed a tear of joy. But more on that later. Let's get down to the facts first: Dji, hitherto known for its drones, has created a robot that I tested from every angle.

Robotics kit

EUR749,–

DJI RoboMaster S1

39

Robotics kit

EUR749,–

DJI RoboMaster S1

39

The beginning of a beautiful friendship

On opening the box, I discover numerous spare parts. OK, the robot doesn't arrive in one piece, it has to be assembled first. I thought, "What a piece of shit! I don't want to assemble my robot, I want to play with it!"Then I changed my mind: "In fact, it's a great idea, because instead of receiving a finished product I can discover the RoboMaster by assembling it and thus better understand how it works."

The finish on the various parts looks neat and they look solid. With a total weight of 3.3 kilos, the S1 is a handsome beast. The wiring and cable routing work simply and logically. The optimum recommended operating temperature is between -10 and 40°C. So I've come to the conclusion that I can also use the RoboMaster S1 outdoors. But I'm still a long way off: I still have to tighten a lot of screws, fit or hang most of the parts in multiple places and connect cables. After about two and a half hours of screwing, I can see that everything is definitely stable.

My RoboMaster S1 comes to life

Well, on track now. Having fully charged the battery using the charger supplied, I place it on the back of the RoboMaster, hopefully having screwed and assembled everything correctly. A full charge takes about an hour and a half. I lightly press the power button on the battery, four LEDs light up one after the other and then... nothing. Is that all? Then I try again with a long press on the power button, and voilà, the RoboMaster S1 lights up, makes noise and engages the controller fan. No. 5... er, the RoboMaster S1 is alive!

I had already previously installed the app - available for iOS or Android - on my iPhone, so here we go! Connecting via WiFi and calibrating the wheels and gimbal takes less than three minutes. I went straight into 'solo' mode without even glancing at the user manual. However, you won't get anywhere this way, apart from driving around in circles in 'GTA' mode, getting on everyone's nerves: a real piece of cake! Via my smartphone, I can control the robot, rotate the camera, shoot light beams or gel balls, take photos or videos, check the battery level, change the colour of the LEDs, make a few adjustments or targeted exercises.

I'm not testing the battle mode as I only have one robot. You can race with other RoboMasters at this address, organise shooting competitions, or do anything with other pilots. As a responsible adult, I should advise against this, but I don't want to. Personally, I really enjoy the single-player mode and the absurd things you can do in it. In fact, I'm having so much fun that I don't really want to face a second robot. Driving around the office in subjective vision. Thanks to its wheels mecanum, the RoboMaster S1 moves in all directions. Taking photos and shooting the feet of my colleges or scaring my superiors with strange messages over the loudspeaker: it's all great fun!

The 2,400 mAh battery is supposed to last 35 minutes on a flat surface at an average speed of 2 m/s. Mine even lasted almost 40 minutes. In standby mode, the battery has a life of 100 minutes. In my case, it lasted almost 110 minutes. Maximum speed is 3.5 m per second, or around 13 km/h. According to Dji, the range with a WiFi connection by phone is between 130 and 140 m with a frequency of 2.4 GHz, and between 70 and 90 m with a frequency of 5.8 GHz. My outdoor test confirms this. Indoors, it's different: as soon as there are obstacles between the robot and the phone, for example walls, people or objects, the range drops to around 20 to 30 m.

Programming in the RoboMaster lab

However, the real purpose of the RoboMaster 1 is its teaching ability. Indeed, according to Dji and the markings on the box, it is an "educational robot". In addition to the single-player and combat modes, there is also a lab mode for this purpose. In this mode, you can copy mini programs using the Scratch programming language, watch enriching video tutorials additional tips or write your own programs in Scratch or Python language (still in beta version). My first impression: this lab thing is still in full beta.

Since I'm not a whiz at programming, I've just copied a few programs for the purposes of this test. The lab features available on smartphone are not optimal. The screen on my iPhone is simply too small to be able to perfectly identify the different Scratch bricks. What's more, I set the application language to German, but while the bricks are indeed written in German, the instructions are still displayed in English. A point that Dji should improve.

I copied the first three programmes, scrupulously following the instructions. With the first two, everything went perfectly. But for the third, the RoboMaster S1 refused to cooperate for a long time. No matter what I programmed, it always decided to do something else. The task seemed very simple: identify the panels with the numbers, remember where they are and then shoot them one by one. It was only when I used my Surface computer to read everything on a bigger screen that I realised I'd made a small mistake in the code. All right, so the robot just does its own thing when I give it the wrong instructions.

A robot that exceeds all expectations

The RoboMaster S1 has everything I expected from it... and much more. When I heard that Dji had made a robot, I hoped it would be finished well and have a sleek style. Check and check. On both counts, Dji has done an excellent job. I also hoped that the robot would be able to move in all directions and that it would have a camera with a microSD card slot. Check and check. It's true that the quality of photos and videos could be improved. The maximum resolutions of 2560×1440 pixels for photos and 1080p and 30 FPS for videos aren't great. A five-megapixel 1/4 CMOS sensor doesn't do much better. All in all, I thought it would be a fun gadget. Check, without hesitation.

I can understand why Dji would recommend the RoboMaster S1 for ages 14 and up only. Well, I say that because I'm not 13. Indeed, the RoboMaster is fun, even incredibly fun, but the gel balls fired by the S1 can cause havoc if put in the wrong hands. Admittedly, they're only copolymer and polyacrylate (non-polluting substances) soaked in water for four hours, but they can injure an eye, for example, if the user doesn't keep a certain distance. The camera function and control of the robot via the phone screen, without direct eye contact, also require a certain maturity.

What unexpected features does the RoboMaster S1 offer? I think it's the "follow people" function. To do this, I simply press the corresponding button on the screen and select a person in the robot's field of vision. The robot then starts to follow that person from a distance of between two and three metres. The programme works surprisingly reliably. In bright sunlight (and backlight), however, the robot quickly loses sight of its target object. The game also stops if there is a background of the same colour. A black jumper in front of a black wall? You can forget it. What's more, I can record movement sequences programmed by myself using abbreviated dialling and launch them at any time. I can also record voice messages on my phone and then broadcast them to the RoboMaster S1 using the loudspeaker. Meanwhile, the camera's built-in microphone then records everything that happens around the robot.

Brief I know what I want for Christmas

The RoboMaster S1 ('Step One') isn't perfect. The truly central element, the RoboMaster app lab, could do with some improvement. Failed translations, a still non-existent community and progress that isn't saved despite the save confirmation are some of the things that Dji absolutely must fix. What's more, I sometimes noticed a lag when piloting via the smartphone screen. In the presence of obstacles, the RoboMaster S1 loses its connection much more quickly than I'd like. In addition, the RoboMaster S1 doesn't always save photos to the microSD card and I still haven't figured out why.

Despite everything, the RoboMaster S1 is, in my opinion, the gadget of the year. It's a must-have to put on your gift list, whether it's for Christmas, your birthday or a special occasion. The fact that it's not perfect makes it human in a way. Just seeing my colleagues' faces on the live image as I twirl the robot between the legs of their desks is worth its weight in gold. Wherever I take the RoboMaster S1, it immediately becomes the centre of attention. Even though I feel like I'm playing with a toy for men, to my surprise I also notice a lot of envious glances from the women.

I fell in love with my four-wheeled plastic friend as soon as the first screw was fitted. From instructive assembly to nonsensical but hugely entertaining wandering, photography, gel bead throwing and ambitious programming, I had a great time with the RoboMaster S1. Even though it costs a whopping 500 francs or euros (price as at 17/12/19), it's a purchase I'd highly recommend.

PS: as my family and friends are subscribers, I know they've read this article. So I hope they're aware that it's nearly Christmas and will understand my message. If you don't want to miss out on any great robotics or gadgets like this, follow me by clicking on the 'Follow Author' button on this article's author profile.