Drone School, learn the entire process from hardware to software
We need to find a market with new perspectives such as entertainment and education.

The drone light show that lit up the night sky during the opening and closing ceremonies of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics drew attention. The show, which featured 1,218 Intel Shooting Star drones, broke the Guinness World Record for the “most unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously in the air.”

The 1,218 drone aircraft used in the show were controlled by just one computer and one pilot.

When we talk about drone education, it is easy to think of the process of obtaining an 'ultralight aircraft pilot license'. This is because the current domestic drone education market is centered around licenses. The government said it would raise drone technology competitiveness to the world's top 5, but basic elements such as original technology and related personnel are not in place. Accordingly, voices are growing louder that systematic education is needed from drone hardware to software.


There is a place in Korea where you can learn everything from drone design to coding, assembly, and even making a control app. The Drone School, founded by CEO Oh Sang-eun, teaches the entire process of making a finished product, including 3D modeling classes using drones, Arduino-based coding, and smartphone apps.

CEO Oh Sang-eun said, “Just for the drone performances shown at the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, only one pilot is needed. “It’s not something that can be done simply by controlling it, but rather by creating and operating movements with software,” he said. “Focusing on obtaining a pilot’s license is not useful in terms of utility. Systematic education that can support the drone industry is needed,” he explained.

The drone school classes are conducted using an assembly kit called KITRONE. The classes, which were initially conducted for college students and the general public, were expanded to include elementary school students starting this year in line with the mandatory middle school coding education.

Mr. Oh said, “As you go through the process of making a drone, you can develop interest and learn simple coding so that you can apply it. If you learn these three things: drone modeling, coding, and control apps, you can apply them in various ways.” He added, “The direction that coding education should pursue is to teach you how to actually put your thoughts into form, not just stop at ideas.”

Drones are suitable for use in fields that can replace labor.

DJI, which has 70% of the global commercial drone market, started out as a small hobby drone. In Korea, the hobby drone market was not formed due to regulations such as visual flight, night flight, and flight zone restrictions, and it moved to commercial use. The government's policy is also focused on industrial use.

Accordingly, CEO Oh chose the agricultural sector as the most suitable industrial market for drone use. “I think it is appropriate to use drones in a way that can replace labor. Demand for filming and hobby use is already limited, and it seems that agriculture is the most effective field for industrial use,” he answered.

Other fields that were seen as having potential include entertainment and education. “I think there will be a market demand for drone shows like the Olympics,” he said. “The global drone market is not yet fully open. Still, there is a big wall called China. Ultimately, we have to go to the industrial market, but rather than going beyond China, looking at it from a different perspective and focusing on the education market could be another alternative.”