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In the year of 2016, I’m first introduced to a rero robotics kit – a modular robotics system that is fully designed and manufactured in Malaysia. Imagined that you can build 16 different types of robot with it – how cool is that!

The story of rero began way earlier that when I first met it. For those that who doesn’t know the story – read on

The rero Story – How It All Started

In 2003, there were a bunch of undergraduates in UTM, they were given the opportunity and privilege to represent our university in a robotic competition, (ABU RoboCon). The competition was an eye-opener and it sparked a passion for robotics in them, aspiring engineers with an entrepreneurial spirit. Together, they started a company (Cytron Technologies) in 2005 and began developing various kinds of microcontroller development boards to assist university students in completing their robotic projects.  

Even then, they saw the value of robotics education and aimed to bring down the learning curve so that even young children can have fun building robots and at the same time learn some new skills. For years, they strived hard towards materialising the idea of developing an educational robotic kit which would be easy to learn and use. The robotic kit they had in mind would serve to remove the technical barriers that keep kids out from the world of robotic. 

Hence, their brain child – rero robotic kit was finally launched in early 2014. It’s ASEAN’s first educational robotic kit for students. With this robotic kit, children will no longer be put off by the previously long and tedious process of building a robot from scratch and parents do not have to worry about their kids using dangerous tools. In addition, anyone can start building a robot right away without having to learn a programming language beforehand. 

With rero, you can truly BUILD YOUR OWN ROBOT TODAY!

SO – What’s So Special About rero?
“rero stands for reconfigurable robot”

rero is Modular & Reconfigurable
Imagine a robotic kit that you will never tire of.

In this ONE robotic kit, you get all the basic components that you need to build all sorts of robots. With its modular design, you can easily assemble the parts in as many configurations as you can possibly think of. It can be a cute puppy robot one day, and a dancing robot or even a combat robot the next.

rero is E.A.S.Y. to Assemble
rero slide & lock system is so easy and intuitive that you don’t need a thick manual to start putting the parts together.

With the rero robotic kit, you don’t need any extra tool to start building a robot, not even a screw or a single bolt. rero’s novel slide & lock mechanism makes it really easy to assemble the parts – you can actually build a 4-legged robot with 8 DOF in less than 30 minutes!

rero is E.A.S.Y. to Program
Do not know a programming language? Not a problem! With rero TeachMode, Animator and Planner, you can start programming your robot today, right away.

rero comes with several programming methods to cater to users with different levels of programming skill. For a start, you can use the rero TeachMode to program your robots in two easy steps – teach motion, and then play back. You can also use rero Animator and rero Planner to program your robots. 

These simplified graphical programming tools help young children to understand and learn the concept of coding. Advanced users can access rero Controller’s open source firmware and use the well-documented Application Program Interface (API) to program their robots using C code.

rero is Bluetooth Enabled
Bored of virtual games? You can pair your rero robot with a smartphone or a tablet for a game of robot combat.

rero is LEGO^® Friendly
rero ♥ LEGO^®! Who doesn’t?

LEGO^® is the favourite building block of all time. rero is an educational robotic kit. Combine the two and you’ll be amazed by the endless possibilities. Building robot is even more fun with LEGO^® at the party!

rero is 3D Printing Friendly
Make your rero robot truly yours. Personalise it by 3D printing accessories for your robot to project your style. rero users can customize their robots by creating their own parts using 3D printing technology. To begin with, rero team has provided 3D drawings for all of their rero parts to help rero robot makers to get started. For more info please visit www.rero.io to register your free account on it’s e-learning portal.

Bringing Robotics to the Masses – Cytron’s Initiatives
When rero was first revealed to the public, it created a buzz of excitement. It appeared on national TV and was featured in many newspapers and tech blogs. It even won several awards, such as APICTA Awards, National Innovation Award and ASEAN ICT Award. These awards affirmed the rero team efforts and helped to boost the motivation to stay on track.

However, when rero was brought into the market, rero team encountered another major obstacle. They discovered that there is still a lack of awareness on the role and importance of robotics in education and only the privileged few have access to robotics education. Set back but undeterred, rero team decided to press on and this time with a bigger vision. They aim higher with BRING ROBOTICS TO THE MASSES!  rero Ecosystems’ vision is simple, that is to see young children and youth having ACCESS to rero robotic kits and also the OPPORTUNITY to be part of the robotics revolution. In order to achieve that, firstly, we need to create awareness among the public on the role and importance of robotics in education and also to promote robotics to school children. Secondly, we need to create avenues for teachers, parents and children to have access to the robotic kits as well as to provide them with a learning platform to get started.

i. Robotics Roadshows, Workshops and Camps
Since the launching of rero, rero team have been always on the move and busy bringing rero to countless exhibitions, science fairs, schools and even shopping malls. Through these ongoing efforts, rero team have introduced robotics to countless children and witnessed these little ones successfully building their own robots.

ii. rero e-Learning portal
This FREE e-Learning portal is especially designed for beginners to learn the basic concepts of robotics and also to guide them through the robot-building process. The Beginners’ Course comprises 16 hands-on lessons, whereby learners start building robots right from the very first lesson. In each lesson, learners receive input on an aspect of robotics through an informative and animated video. This is followed by a robot-building challenge based on the topic of the day. This approach is fun and engaging as the students are encouraged to learn through play and they can progress through the lessons at their own pace. The hands-on experience of building and programming their own robots will give learners a sense of achievement.

Learners are also encouraged to design their own robots and share their projects with other members on the e-Learning portal. Through this initiative to form a community of robot makers who share the same passion and provide support to one another. If you would like to embark on this exciting journey, you can register on-line at http://www.rero.io/portal/.

iii. Robotics Classes
These classes provide students with extra guidance and also the opportunity to interact with other junior robot makers. In addition, the students get to participate in  mini robot challenges at the centre. Currently, we have classes available in Kuching and other major cities across Malaysia. To partner with rero Edu team please send in your inquiry to info@rero.io