Flybrix – LEGO drone kits

LEGO has never gone out of fashion but it does seem to be stronger than ever right now. Mix this with the latest tech favourite, drones, and you have something even awesomer! Well, that’s what Flybrix is hoping.

Flybrix is a San Francisco-based startup and is offering build-a-drone kits for kids age 14 and up.

These kits are made up of LEGO bricks and, perhaps more importantly, motors that don’t require soldering. The mixture of off-the-shelf parts and Flybrix-designed elements certainly has piqued my interest.

As Darren found out, not all drones can be flown indoors. Fybrix drones, however, are lightweight and are meant to be flown indoors.

Piloting is via the Bluetooth flight control app for iOS or Android smartphones. You also have the option of a flight controller that comes bundled in the Deluxe kit, or purchased separately.

Crash friendly

Flybrix drones are also “crash-friendly.”

Thanks to the way they are constructed, should things get bumpy, the drones can be re-assembled time and again. This also means that you can experiment with designs to improve handling or strength, etc.

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Co-founders of the startup, Amir Hirsch, Robb Walters and Holly Kasun, want to get people interested in things such as geometry, aerodynamics and electrical engineering. Granted, their target audience is teens and younger kids under supervision but I can see kids of *all* ages getting involved.

The basic kit (shown above) includes about 40 pieces and instructions how to build a small quadcopter. Assembly takes under fifteen minutes.

Deluxe kits include more complex models and ideas, as well as games that gets kids to modify a basic design, and figure out how to make their own drones.

Flybrix’s Chief Play Officer, Holly Kasun, said the company isn’t officially partnering with LEGO, but has made its business known to LEGO. It is hoped that people that use LEGO bricks to build drones will also try the massive toy company’s other STEM-related products, such as their LEGO Mindstorms kits.

Flybrix pricing and availability

You can order the Flybrix kits direct from the website.

It seems that the first batch was such a success that they have currently sold out. But, if you order now you will receive your kit next month (February).

• Basic Kit – $189
• Flight Controller – $89
• Deluxe Kit – $249