Children Learn To Program Robots In A Playful Way

2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-06-05 00:21

The Austrian start-up Robo Wunderkind around founder Anna Iarotska developed the robot set. Children from 5 years of age can playfully learn about the world of programming language and robotics . Tailored to different levels of knowledge, children can choose from a range of difficulty levels with the robot set, which can be put together according to the modular principle: from an intelligent lamp to a full-fledged Android robot, which let the children come to life, everything is included.

App brings robots to life

The principle of Robo Wunderkind is quite simple: it consists of blocks of different colors, in which each color has a characteristic. For example, the red building block is a distance sensor and the yellow one is a Bluetooth module that can be used to connect to cell phones and tablets.

In the associated app , the little explorers can develop their own projects and bring their robots to life. For example, the children can program the robot so that it follows a color streak, finds a light source or reacts to living beings. According to the manufacturer, children from the age of five can use it to build remote-controlled vehicles, a cat feeding machine or a flashlight.

“The programming language - like any other language or ability - is not tied to a gender. Anyone who is enthusiastic about tech and coding will later have many professional fields open to them . The demand for IT talent is already greater than there are specialists,”explains Anna Iarotska, CEO of Robo Wunderkind.

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Picture gallery with 14 pictures

For the development of the Robo Wunderkind, the founder of the Viennese start-up received the German digital award "The Spark " from Handelsblatt and McKinsey in the "Female Founder" category . “One reason why I dedicate myself to Robo Wunderkind with 200 percent is my belief that gender-neutral toys can inspire young girls to build and program their own robots. And even more: give them confidence before their surroundings make them question their own abilities,”explains Anna Iarotska.

Schools integrate robot kits into the classroom

The relevance of Robo Wunderkind's mission becomes particularly clear in the context of the digital package, in which the Ministry of Education provides funds for the digital upgrade of schools. More than 500 educational institutions worldwide, including 55 schools and kindergartens in German-speaking countries, are already integrating the robot kits into subjects such as art, geography or math. With the help of specially developed curricula and learning materials, educators and students can get started without any previous IT knowledge.

New product generation supported by crowdfunding

Robo Wunderkind's new product generation, the Coding Saga, was supported by more than 270 fans from more than 20 countries and was able to collect the desired amount of $ 50,000 via crowdfunding. With the extended product generation, the children get to know basic aspects of computer science such as loops, parallel processing, command sequence, conditional logic, inputs / outputs and much more. The Coding Saga by Robo Wunderkind is also compatible with Lego blocks.

More about the campaign

Robo Wunderkind is currently available in two sets: the Starter Kit (€ 179.00) and the Education Kit (€ 249.00). The Advanced Kit (€ 149.00) also offers additional components and features. All models are compatible with Lego to give children more creative play options. The associated apps Robo Code and Robo Live enable programming and control of the robots. The launch of the second product generation "Coding Saga" and "Coding Saga Unlimited" is planned for summer 2020.