Mar 21 2017
Makeblock (Makeblock Co., Ltd), a leading DIY and STEM education robotics construction platform, will announce today at the CeBIT 2017 Conference that it has received the prestigious Red Dot Award 2017 for Product Design for two products. The two winning products include Airblock, a modular and programmable drone designed for STEM education, and Neuron, a programmable building blocks platform that teaches kids gadget-building.
"We are thrilled to have not one, but two, of our products chosen for this prestigious award," said founder & CEO of Makeblock, Jasen Wang. "With our design, our goal was to create a product that inspired open-ended creation without overwhelming the user. This recognition is especially an honor as the European market is key for us – these countries are some of the earliest adopters of new STEM education practices – which is why we decided to announce this at CeBIT this year. We've seen great traction in Europe already, with more than 6,000 schools integrating course materials based on Makeblock's popular product, mBot. Makeblock kits into their curriculums. We are excited to continue expanding our business and creating more products geared towards STEM education to fulfill our ultimate vision of democratizing robotics and coding for all ages."
With the help of the jury of experts, the international competition "Red Dot Award: Product Design" appraises the best products of the year. Manufacturers and designers from all over the world submit originals of their latest products in one of 47 categories. Products are judged based on criteria such as innovation, formal quality, functionality and ecological compatibility. Makeblock's Airblock and Neuron were deemed winners in both the Drones & Action Cameras, and Babies & Children categories for the Airblock and Neuron, respectively. Winners will be formally announced at the Red Dot Gala on July 3, 2017 in Essen, Germany.
Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award: "The Red Dot winners are pursuing the right design strategy. They have recognised that good design and economic success go hand in hand. The award by the critical Red Dot jury documents their high design quality and is indicative of their successful design policy."
Airblock launched via Kickstarter in October 2016, raising more than $829,000, and began shipping to backers earlier this month. Neuron is currently available for preorder on Kickstarter starting at $39, and has already raised more than $246,000 – more than doubling its initial goal.
2017 is a year of growth for Makeblock, made possible by an infusion of $30M in Series B capital earlier this month to help with international expansion and product development.
CeBIT is an annual international conference that highlights leading-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, humanoid robots and applications of virtual reality that shift the boundaries between humans and technology. The 5-day conference hosts 200,000 participants, 450 startups and more than 200 speakers. Makeblock is exhibiting on the main show floor in Hall 17, stand number A24, where Makeblock will be showcasing a suite of products including Airblock, Neuron, and other DIY robotics kits.