The Kubo robot, which has been specifically designed to teach kids how to code, is now available to pre-order on Indiegogo.
Kubo’s innovative tile-based programming interface, called TagTile, encourages children to put puzzle pieces together to program it to do things, such as go forward, turn left and then reverse.
The robot then rolls over these pieces and learns how to carry out the command thanks to RFID tech embedded into the pieces. It’ll remember exactly what to do next time too, allowing children to learn to code without staring at a computer.
“Kubo offers the richest and most simple tangible coding experience for kids by the introduction of the puzzle-based coding language called TagTiles,” Kubo said.
“With the coding package, we took the most important coding concepts, which are used in higher education, and made these concepts accessible for young children to learn by making the TagTile coding language real and concrete with strong affordances to exploration and learning-by-doing.”
The basic package includes the body, head and charging cable, plus three function tiles, four sound and light tiles, a fast, medium and slow speed tile, 14 forward, six left and six right direction tiles.
The advanced programming language package adds on an additional set of functions, variable speed, one loop and 1-10 in variables.
Expansion packs can be purchased for more advanced commands and to teach children to count, spell and much more. One suggested game is spelling out a word which appears in a picture. The tile with the picture would be ‘read’ by Kubo and then it would start reading the letters. If it comes across an incorrect letter, it will alert the user, giving them an opportunity to learn how to spell the word.
Kubo is attempting to raise enough money on Indiegogo to start production of the educational robot. It has so far raised more than half of its target of £30,000 with a month still to run.