The first thing that crosses my mind when reading about robots and similar toys are those famous SF movies and novels that were way ahead of their time. The other thing that usually hits me are mixed feelings of excitement and disbelief, though I am still not sure whether because I expected this level of technological development and improvement earlier, or because I really cannot believe it, which is in a way funny and strange, at the same time.
Anyway, the robots are here (well, almost here) and we need to look closer to what they can offer and what they are.
A year ago, a group of computer scientists (from Google, Apple and Frog Design) founded Play-i with an idea to deliver the concept of programming to children in a fun and accessible way, and through their crowd funding campaign, that was launched on October 29th, they introduced robots called Bo and Yana, an explorer and a storyteller. As said on Play-i campaign website:
“Bo is playful and curious. Bo loves going on adventures and making new friends. As you play together, Bo learns new skills and becomes a more capable robot. Together, there’s no stopping where you and Bo can go. Yana is clever, imaginative and full of dreams. Yana can surprise and entertain you by bringing characters to life as you play!”
Playing, discovering and exploring is how kids learn at that age, and these robots can meet their needs in terms of learning. Vikas Gupta, CEO of Play-i, explained:
“As a father, I know that a child’s world is about play. Play-i robots make abstract concepts of programming concrete — unlocking a whole new world of imagination, creativity and play for children.”
And Steve Cooper, and adviser for Play-i, added:
“Programming skills can help young learners succeed throughout life, from strengthening their vocabulary to improving problem solving abilities.”
What can they do? The robots can be used separately or together (both have Bluetooth 4.0). Bo and Yana can dance, collect toys from the floor, play songs, and they can be programmed by children wirelessly, using an iPod. Children from 5 to 12 can experience different programming concepts – they can use visual programming languages created by MIT and Google, build applications for iOS and Android, and above all have fun. In an interview for Mashable, Gupta said:
”Perhaps one would program Bo to drive itself from the playroom to Mom’s room on her birthday and sing her a song upon arrival.”
And how great is that? Robots will be available in summer 2014 for 149$, however, during the campaign you can get them for 49$. The campaign also promotes computer science education – every dollar one contributes will be used to bring robots to schools and kids who cannot afford them. See this video for more information.
The question is how great it is to have a robot that could teach your 5 year old kid programming. Well, the truth is that along with the fast computer science development that brought and created new learning tools for all generations, came parental fear and concern related to their kids’ “obsessive” excitement over this appealing world of games, computers, and IT in general. Many believed, and perhaps still believe, that children should not play with smartphones, tablets and computers in general. Although it is not good to restrict children’s intellect, and to direct their imagination and creativity by not allowing them to use any device, which in a certain way separates them from the world they live in, the concern is justifiable only in terms of toys and device’s quality. However, these robots can develop children’s creativity and intellect in the proper way. The team behind Bo and Yana did their research in detail.
When I think about it, I wish I were 5, on the other hand, who said these robots are only for children? Parents can play with their children and with their robots as well.
If you wish to learn more about this project you can watch an interview with Vikas Gupta here.
