Young children will be able to learn coding with robots.
KinderLab Robotics, a spin-out from Tufts University, is raising the funds for its robot kit on Kickstarter. Dubbed Kibo, the robot kit needs funding of $50,000 – as of the time of writing, this goal has already been exceeded at $66,299.
The company previously received an undisclosed amount as part of a Phase 1 Small Business Research Grant from the US National Science Foundation to fund the product design. During the crowdfunding period, a Kibo kit can be secured for $219, with an expected delivery of September 2014.
Kibo is a robot kit designed for young children aged four to seven and takes a playful approach to programming. The robots are controlled through the use of familiar wooden blocks, representing lines of code. Each block represents one action for the robot. By putting the blocks together, children can build a program that controls the robot’s motion and sounds. The robots, which come with sensors that can detect sound, light and distance, can be decorated and personalised.
Based on 15 years of research by Marina Umaschi Bers and her team at Tufts University’s Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Kibo engages young children cognitively, socially, emotionally and develops their motor skills. The technology works entirely without the need for tablets, smartphones or desktop computers.
Umaschi Bers, chief scientist at KinderLab, said: “It was our top priority to create a platform based on the way that children learn. While there are robot kits available, they are designed by engineers and are made for children aged eight and upwards. From a developmental perspective, it is important that children learn the basics behind programming and logic at an early age while engaging in open-ended play that encourages problem solving and experimentation. When you are a five year-old, there is not much you can build and control in your world, but with Kibo you can make a robot that looks and moves exactly the way you want it to.”
