Zee Dubrovsky is on a mission to make robots that teach people how to code. It’s not an easy task, though, especially when fitting in all ages between four and ninety-nine. Dubrovsky and his team have over fifty years of collective experience in consumer products and educational services, stemming from companies like iRobot and Apple to universities like Harvard and MIT. Their solution is a whiteboard-climbing robot named Root.
Plucky yet capable of “evolving” with its users over time, Root tackles coding at all stages. The robot introduces youngsters to drag-and-drop coding with priority over easy-to-understand blocks but then progresses to intermediate concepts such as conditionals, operators, and variables. Lastly, Root switches to text-based programming where well-versed users can explore computer languages such as Python, Javascript, and Swift. Thanks to its impressive suite of components, Root can move, draw, erase, light up, play sounds, detect color, sense touch, see light, and react to sensors in smart devices. The robot is compatible with iPad where there’ll be plenty of screen space to tinker with programs.
Root takes the shape of a small, friendly robot. It’s reminiscent of Roomba, despite being hexagonal. Sensors line the bottom, sides, and top of the robot. Root magnetically sticks to whiteboard surfaces commonly found in classrooms. Two motorized wheels move the robot around, and an actuated gripper in the robot’s center grasp colored markers for drawing. Of course, Root works on any horizontal surface.
Kids can engage in numerous activities with Root. Programming the robot to avoid colored dots, solve hand-drawn mazes, and race along a track are a few that come to mind. The idea with Root is that kids don’t have to spend time constructing a kit; rather, they can start coding from the get-go. There are accessories in mind like cameras and physical coding blocks, but it’s all still plug and play with Root.
Scansorial, the public-benefit startup behind Root, hopes to raise $250,000 from Kickstarter alone. With a network spanning from Harvard to iRobot, I’m certain they’ll be able to pull everything off from funding to manufacturing to delivery. Unlike other crowdfunded robots I’ve seen, Root is feasible. It’s not promising to replace your dog or make you dinner but instead teach you to code through easy-to-grasp activities. You can root for Root by backing $155 on Kickstarter. The campaign runs until November 30th and backers can expect Root on their doorsteps in June.
Source: Kickstarter
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