Myanmar’s drone enthusiasts are rushing to catch up with the latest technology after emerging from the shadow of military rule
In a ramshackle workshop behind a bustling Yangon market, Kyi Tha fixes the plastic propeller of a home-made drone, one of a growing number of enthusiasts refusing to let poverty clip the wings of their hi-tech dreams.
A new generation of creative young inventors have turned to the internet to catch up with the rest of the world, after years of isolation under junta rule left the country with little access to engineering expertise or cutting-edge technology.
“Studying drone technology is not easy in Myanmar. So we watched videos about it on YouTube,” said Kyi Tha, admitting he watch clips for months, patiently enduring notoriously slow web connections in his search for knowledge.
“First we did not have any success, but after experimenting for one year we could do many things,” he said.
Kyi Tha, 26, and his cousin Thet San, 30, have transformed a modest wooden home into the nerve-centre of their engineering and technology business, Myanmar Future Science.