Archiv der Kategorie: Programming

Harvard University Based Startup Launches New Robot, Root, That Teaches Anyone To Code

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All ages and skill levels can learn coding in an intuitive, interactive way.

 CAMBRIDGE, Mass. October 26, 2016 – Scansorial, a startup emerging from Harvard University, is on a mission to bridge the coding gap with the launch of their newest invention, Root: a fun, easy-to-use robot which teaches coding to anyone ages four to 99. Root has over 50 sensors and actuators with which it can draw, erase, play music, explore its world, and even defy gravity by using magnetism to drive on wall mounted whiteboards — making coding activities applicable to a range of topics, social, and way more cool.

With its interactive nature and easy setup, Root is the perfect tool for learning from authentic coding experiences at home, with teachers in classrooms, and has a social platform to share programs around the world. Root appeals to children as young as four and grows with them as a familiar and consistent platform — offering years of learning opportunities rather than days. As their coding skills improve, they’ll advance from programming with a blocks-based graphical interface (a child can use it even before they know how to read) to programming with fully text-based languages like Swift, JavaScript, and Python.

Another thing that makes Root special is the interplay with iPad. Not only is it programmed from an iPad, with Root’s app the iPad sensors can be used to interact with Root in real-time (for instance, the iPad can be programmed to act as a steering wheel.) Programs can be modified even while they’re running which facilitates the real-time debugging of code as children flexibly pause, step through, or add instructions at any point. Root also promotes agent-based thinking by showing exactly what the robot sees on the iPad.

“We have a big problem in our country, nine out of 10 parents want their kids to learn computer science but only one out of 10 elementary schools actually teach it. This leaves 58 million kids stuck in the middle not knowing how to get a computer science education,” Zee Dubrovsky, CEO of Scansorial.

“We are thrilled to support Root as it heads out to change the world of education. iRobot is committed to STEM learning and excited to see one of our alumni carry this passion forward in a startup aimed at bringing robotics and programming into homes and classrooms.“ Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot.

About Scansorial, PBC

Founded in 2016, Scansorial is a Public Benefit Corporation on a mission to make coding accessible for learners of any age. Scansorial makes robots, apps, and curricula that allow people to instantly set up, create, and share interactive coding lessons. Robots are the best way to engage in the journey of learning how digital stuff really works. Scansorial is a privately-held company headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

Root Team

The Root team has over 50 years of collective experience in launching and building consumer products (iRobot, Sonos, Apple) and software/education services (Microsoft, Disney, PLTW, Harvard, MIT). This includes launching four coding robots (Create, Kilobot, AERobot, Multiplo), launching two graphical coding environments (MIT App Inventor, Minibloq), and launching three consumer robots (Roomba, Scooba, Looj).

It is now possible to pre-order Root exclusively through Kickstarter through November 30. A limited number are priced at $145 which is only a fraction of its retail value. With a pledge of only $10, the campaign will put that money aside for schools in need that can’t afford Root. For any backers with deeper pockets, a pledge of $10,000 will put 60 Roots in a school of their choice and the campaign will promote these backers as a School Hero. Follow #SchoolHero to see who out there will step up to the plate and join this cause.

Kickstarter page: http://kck.st/2exTJN8

Robo Wunderkind raises $500,000 and announces a new mobile application

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Vienna, Austria, Sept. 20, 2016 — The Vienna-based hardware startup Robo Wunderkind, which develops modular programmable robots for young children, announced today a $500,000 funding round with participation from Arkley VC as lead investor, business angel Juergen Habichler, and the Austrian Federal Promotional Bank (AWS). The funding will go into the widening of their retail reach and the expansion into new markets. The plan is to build a worldwide distribution system and to give young customers from everywhere a chance to learn coding and robotics in a fun and simple way.

The startup already raised $250,000 from backers from 58 countries on Kickstarter in October 2015 and by now collaborated with more than 50 schools around the globe to bring Robo Wunderkind to the classroom. Its vision is to revolutionize the way children interact with technologies through developing educational hardware and software products.

 

Piotr Wasowski, Managing Partner of Arkley VC:

“I expect Robo Wunderkind to transform how our kids interact with technology. Even very young children will be able to learn the basic principles of programming, which are vital for their future careers and for understanding the world around them.”

 

Juergen Habichler, Business Angel:

“Robo Wunderkind is the future of education. I have been looking for a long time to find a visionary team, which combines robotics with education. I strongly believe that Robo Wunderkind has the potential to become the education platform for kids, students as well as adults.“

 

Today, the startup is also announcing its new application to remote control electronic devices: the Robo Play App. Its simple programming interface will allow users to easily create personalized virtual dashboards to control the robots they will build with Robo Wunderkind modules, remotely via Bluetooth or Wifi. In the next step, the team is going to make the Robo Play App compatible with other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as cameras, lights, motion and light sensors.

 

Rustem Akishbekov, co-founder and CEO at Robo Wunderkind:

“In the beginning, we wanted to create an interface that will allow even a 5-year old to control our robotics kit. Eventually, we created a platform that will allow us to expand our target audience and reach older users. With our app, everyone will be able to control their IoT devices with the help of a very intuitive and customizable app. The way our robots prepare young kids for the digital world of the 21st century, our app will open the world of IoT devices to everyone.”

Yuri Levin, Chief Design Officer:

“With the help of our user-friendly and intuitive design, we are making interaction with IoT devices seamless and accessible for the wider audience.”

 

Robo Play App is free and will work on both Android and iOS devices. It will be compatible with all Robo Wunderkind kits, which are already available for pre-orders on their website with shipping planned for later this year.

 

About Robo Wunderkind

Robo Wunderkind was founded by Rustem Akishbekov, who brought Anna Iarotska and Yuri Levin on board in 2013. The company is based in Vienna, Austria, and maintains an office in Shenzhen, China. In the last three years, the founders have gathered a team of passionate engineers and designers dedicated to the vision of making coding and robotics accessible to everyone. Their first product is an educational robot that syncs with intuitive mobile applications to help children understand the basics of programming. Robo Wunderkind was part of the world’s first and largest hardware accelerator HAX in 2014 and Finalist of TechCrunch Disrupt SF Startup Battlefield in 2015.

Enhance Your Makerspace!

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It’s no secret how exciting the trend of makerspaces are for schools. While this movement was started quite some time ago, it seems to have gained particularly great momentum in the past 5 years.

Built on the idea of ‘constructionism’, makerspaces are a very obviously translated idea, where a space is dedicated within a school or educational facility for students to create and ‘make’ things.  There is shared resources and networking that takes place and provides a different structure of learning for students. Ranging from woodworks to robotics, these spaces are extremely important in fostering creativity and problem solving in students.

Where Will Makerspaces Work Best?

Makerspaces also range from elementary schools to college campuses, so their versatility is extremely useful.

According to Educause.edu, on their article 7 Things you Should Know About Makerspaces,

“….certain materials and tools are emblematic of makerspaces, such as microcontrollers called arduinos and 3D printers, valuable for fast prototyping. As the notion of providing space for project design and construction has caught on in education, such places have acquired other accoutrements, from paints and easels and impromptu stage sets to cooktops and candy molds. Used by students, faculty, and staff, makerspaces have become arenas for informal, project-driven, self-directed learn- ing, providing workspace to tinker, try out solutions, and hear input from colleagues with similar interests. “

It’s places like these that encourage a different type of learning to take place, perhaps a more ‘open-range’ type of environment that differs from the structure of a classroom being led by a teacher.

Some supplies for a makerspace are less available than others, such as 3D printers and robots.

If you compare sharing a robot amongst a class of 20 students to them all sharing a computer to learn from; you can see how the essence of learning is diluted. The experience is completely different and likely not nearly as effective or beneficial to the students until it’s their “turn” to use the computer.

The same can be said for robotics. We know they are extremely useful for teaching many STEM concepts and early mechanical engineering, and LEGO robots are very popular for schools and competitions but start around $400. For most public schools, one robot may be more than is affordable so to effectively teach an entire class by sharing; the students are not receiving the best quality experience from their class.

Here is another example where the Virtual Robotics Toolkit can provide a solution to hundreds of schools and thousands of students, where each student is able to individually use the simulator. They can build and control their own robots using the exact same controller and concepts as the physical robots. In fact, if they’ve already learned how to use a LEGO EV3 MINDSTORMS or NXT robot, they will seamlessly navigate the VRT.

Pilots use flight simulators to learn to fly for the same reason students can learn robotics with one; costs and training purposes.

If students are given access to the VRT in addition to the makerspace of sharing a physical robot, their skills and overall experience will be greatly enhanced and at a fraction of the cost of a real robot.

It’s a win-win for teachers as well, since they’re able to help their class all get to the same level.

Where can this movement take students and educators?

The Educause article says, “One key demand of a makerspace is that it exist as a physical location where participants have room and opportunity for hands-on work, but as these environments evolve, we may see more virtual participation.”

This is such a great point, because of global networking the opportunities are truly endless. Again, here is a great window of opportunity for the VRT to be a part of your school’s makerspace.  The software already encourages users to interact and even compete with other robot enthusiasts across the globe via the internet.

This capability allows students to learn from eachother and share ideas and challenges that they would otherwise not have had the access to.

Old and new VEX IQ Chickens

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Here are pictures and videos of the VEX IQ Chickens I built some time ago for VEX Worlds. You can see the progress from the first version to the latest version with colored parts.

These robot chickens can each be build out of one VEX IQ kit.
But if you add parts in other colors it looks more realistic.

It is moving using only one motor!
The program to make it move is really easy and a great start for robotic beginners.

2014-04-22 14.57.50 (Large)

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IronBot Robotics Kit for Children Launches IndieGogo Campaign

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XiaMen, China – May 22, 2016 – IronBot is a 3-in-1 buildable and programmable robotics kit for children age 8 and up. Kids will learn STEM and  robotics, when they happily create a “little robot friend” of their own. On Tuesday, May 17, it was launched on Indiegogo, with early bird perk starting from just $89.  (Indiegogo Link: https://igg.me/at/ironbot/x/12259168)


IronBot Includes three choices: a „Robot Arm,“ a „Biped Robot,“ or a „Humanoid Robot.“ As a step-by-step robotic learning kit, the robots are perfect for education and technical instruction, and are a fun playtime activity for children 8 years and up.

IronBot helps children to learn by following step-by-step easy instructions, easily explaining the components, which include, a servo-motor, manipulator assembly, Biped Robot and the Humanoid Robot. The IronBot kit will open the door to the world of robots to children of all ages.
According to the founders of IronBot, „Children can control their IronBot by Bluetooth®, and IronBot offers a coordinating, dedicated app. The robotic arm will pick up small objects or play a balloon game. The app can also race two biped robots. When a robot transforms to the next level humanoid form, kids can use a mobile phone to act as the brain of IronBot. Children will learn by audio and visual interaction using the mobile phone’s camera and microphone.“
The kit comes with a multimode progressive assembly, graphic programming and a personalization setting. Kids can name their robot, and program a personality, voice and story with a customized setting. The kit can be augmented by the children by crafting unique parts for their IronBots, creating unique characteristics on their own.


For more information visit www.ironbot.net.

Find Ironbot on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ironbotforkids/, Twitter: @IronbotforKids, and on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCALVYMZ5RCrYsGO4EOxS11A

Kamibot Programmable Papercraft Robot Launches on Kickstarter

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Daegu, Korea – February 16, 2016 – Kamibot, the first robot that makes learning to code truly fun for kids (and kidults), will launch on Kickstarter on Tuesday, February 16.

Kamibot is a cute, programmable edtech robot, about the size of a coffee mug. It is based around Arduino, so kids can easily program it by using a drag-and-drop programming language like Scratch. The programming skills kids learn with Kamibot are easily transferrable to real-world applications.

“Unless we make programming fun, kids are never going to stick with it,” said Alvin Chae, co-founder and CEO of 3.14, the company that makes Kamibot. “That’s why we put so much effort into the fun elements of Kamibot, creating colorful papercraft skins that let kids dress up Kamibot, and included the ability to control Kamibot with a smartphone or tablet.”

Papercraft Skins

Kami (紙) is the Japanese word for paper, and is at the root of the word origami (折り紙), literally folding paper. The Kamibot team have already created about half a dozen unique papercraft skins that kids can print out, color, and fold to customize Kamibot and give it character. These include The Count, Frankenstein’s monster, a warrior robot, a tank and a missile launcher tank. The company is also working on striking licensing deals for popular cartoon characters.

Hardware

While Kamibot is undeniably fun to play with, it also packs some serious hardware. It’s brain is an Arduino compatible board, based on the open-source standard widely used by the maker community around the world. It also includes front-facing ultrasonic sensors that help it recognize and avoid obstacles and navigate through mazes or around a room. Downward-facing IR sensors allow Kamibot recognize and race along a black line on the floor. DC motors power the wheels, and a servo motor allows the heads of the papercraft characters to rotate from side-to-side. Color changing LEDs brighten up Kamibot and make it even more colorful.

Programming Kamibot

Kids can program Kamibot to follow complex courses and do complex actions, using all of its motors and sensors. One example of how to program Kamibot is a treasure hunt. Kids can set up a table-sized treasure hunt map that includes obstacles like plastic alligators and a treasure chest. Then, using Scratch, kids can program Kamibot to wind its way through the course toward the treasure chest. Several programming project plans, including the treasure hunt, are included with Kamibot. Others will be released on the company’s website in the future. Kamibot can be programmed wirelessly via Bluetooth or while plugged in via micro-USB.

Launching on Kickstarter

Throughout 2015, Kamibot was tested in Korean classrooms and earned high marks both from students aged 10 to 17, and their teachers. Now Kamibot is ready to launch on Kickstarter on Tuesday, February 16 at 7:00 a.m. EST. Super earlybird prices start at $79 plus shipping. Pre-orders close after 30 days and Kamibot will ship to backers in June. For more information, visit Kickstarter and search for Kamibot.

Mit dem neuen LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 wird Sachunterricht in der Grundschule lebendig

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Heute wird auf der Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in den USA eine weltweite Innovation vorgestellt:

LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0, ein kabelloses, roboterbasiertes Lernsystem, mit dem schon Grundschüler projektorientierte Problemlösung und Grundzüge des Programmierens erlernen.


Anfassen, ausprobieren, umsetzen – das neue Lernkonzept WeDo 2.0 ermöglicht eine immense Vielfalt bei der Gestaltung eines lebendigen, handlungs- und forschungsorientierten Sachunterrichts in der Grundschule. Unter Einsatz der vielseitigen LEGO Bauelemente, der Software und der Unterrichtsmaterialien arbeiten Lehrerinnen und Lehrer mit ihrer Klasse an wissenschaftlichen Projekten mit lebensechtem Anwendungsbezug und schaffen so ein solides Grundverständnis für alltägliche Phänomene. Schülerinnen und Schüler erlernen durch das Anfassen und Ausprobieren technische, physikalische und biologische Grundlagen sowie die elementare Logik des Programmierens. Sie werden animiert, Probleme zu erkennen und kreative Lösungsansätze zu entwickeln. Die Kompetenzbeschreibungen basieren auf dem aktuellen Perspektivrahmen Sachunterricht. Die Unterrichtsmaterialien von WeDo 2.0 behandeln zentrale Themen des Sachunterrichts und orientieren sich an den aktuellen Lehrplänen der Jahrgangsstufen 2 bis 4 und sind ebenfalls für LehrplanPLUS geeignet.

Im Rahmen der verschiedenen Projekte beschäftigen sich Schülerinnen und Schüler intensiv mit Problemen und Fragen der Wissenschaft, Konstruktion, Technologie und Programmierung und entwickeln dabei Freude am Experimentieren und Untersuchen. Lehrkräfte werden durch Fortbildungen, Unterrichtsmaterialien und integrierte Leistungsbewertungen unterstützt. So ergibt sich ein Unterrichtsmittel, welches Schülerinnen und Schülern dabei hilft, kritisch zu denken und problemlösungsorientiert zu agieren sowie im Kontext zu handeln und zu urteilen. Nebenbei werden die Kommunikation und die Präsentationsfähigkeit gestärkt und die Entwicklung eigener Lernstrategien wird angestoßen. Neben dem Erkenntnisgewinn stehen auch Partner- und Gruppenarbeit im Fokus.

Die dazu gehörenden Unterrichtsmaterialien behandeln wesentliche Themen des Sachunterrichts und orientieren sich am aktuellen Lehrplan der 2. bis 4. Jahrgangsstufe mit 17 Projekten und Stoff für mehr als 40 Unterrichtseinheiten. Schülerinnen und Schüler beschäftigen sich mit wissenschaftlichen Verfahren und technischen Denkweisen, indem sie verschiedene Herangehensweisen und Entwürfe testen. Im „Transport“-Projekt sollen sie beispielsweise ein Gerät entwerfen, das die Auswirkungen eines heftigen Unwetters für Menschen, Tiere und Umwelt einer betroffenen Gegend abmildert. Schülerinnen und Schüler können Lösungen für eigene sowie vorgegebene Fragestellungen entwerfen. Dabei gewinnen sie einerseits Einblicke in die Vielschichtigkeit von Problemen und Systemen, andererseits erkennen sie, dass es bei Problemen unterschiedliche Lösungswege und -verfahren oder auch Antworten geben kann. Das unterstützt die Entwicklung ihrer Kreativität und die Fähigkeit, schwierige Probleme und Aufgabenstellungen eigenständig zu lösen. Zudem können Lehrkräfte mit Hilfe des Materials ihren Unterricht differenzieren und an die unterschiedlichen Lernvoraussetzungen ihrer Schülerinnen und Schüler anpassen.

„Aus unserer Erfahrung suchen Grundschullehrkräfte Lernmaterial, das eine zeitgemäße naturwissenschaftlich-technische Bildung ermöglicht, das auf die Lehrplaninhalte abgestimmt ist und im Unterricht funktioniert. WeDo 2.0 erfüllt diese Voraussetzungen. Obendrein vermittelt es Kindern auf spielerische Weise die Grundzüge des Programmierens und entfacht dabei eine enorme Motivation für das Lernen, Forschen und Entdecken“, kommentiert Prof. Dr. Daniela Schmeinck von der Universität Köln.

Jedes der neuen WeDo 2.0 Sets besteht aus einem LEGO Education Baukasten mit 280 Teilen und Software für iPad, Android, PC und Mac. Die Software wird direkt mit dem Bausatz geliefert und beinhaltet bereits ein Einführungsprojekt. Dieses erklärt Schritt für Schritt die Hard- und Software und zeigt anschaulich deren Einsatz im Unterricht. Die Software mit grafischem Drag&Drop-Interface stellt eine einfache und intuitive Programmierumgebung zur Verfügung, mit der Schüler ab 7 Jahren ihre LEGO Modelle zum Leben erwecken. Sie beinhaltet auch ein Dokumentationswerkzeug, mit dem Schülerinnen und Schüler ihren Problemlösungsprozess erfassen können, und das Lehrkräften eine Möglichkeit zur Leistungsbeurteilung gibt.

Die neue kabellose Plattform beinhaltet zudem ein Bluetooth-Niedrigenergie-Smarthub-Element – einen elektronischen Baustein, der Teil der LEGO Education-Technologieplattform LEGO Power Functions (LPF) ist, einen Motor, einen Neigungs- sowie einen Bewegungssensor.

Eine Scratch-Schnittstelle für WeDo 2.0 (sowohl webbasiert als auch stand alone) für Macs wird im Februar 2016 und für Windows ab Juni 2016 verfügbar sein. Chromebooks werden ab der zweiten Hälfte 2016 unterstützt. Informationen, wie Lehrer LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 in der Schule einsetzen können, finden Sie unter www.LEGOeducation.de.

LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 wird zur unverbindlichen Preisempfehlung von 154,69 € in den nächsten Tagen auf www.LEGOeducation.de/shop erhältlich sein. Die umfassenden LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Unterrichtsmaterialien kosten 297,49 €. Ein Klassensatz für 24 Schüler kostet beispielsweise 2.106,29 € brutto.

In Deutschland wird das innovative System in Form eines lebendigen Klassenzimmers erstmals von 16.02.2015 bis 20.02.2015 auf der didacta in Köln am Stand C39 in Halle 6 präsentiert!

 

Über LEGO® Education

Seit über 30 Jahren arbeitet LEGO® Education mit Lehrern und Bildungsspezialisten zusammen, um Lernkonzepte und Unterrichtsmaterialien zu entwickeln, die den Schulstoff lebendig werden lassen und Freude am Lernen vermitteln. Das Angebot von LEGO® Education unterstützt Lehrkräfte im kompetenzorientierten Unterricht in Geistes- und Naturwissenschaften, Technik, Informatik und Mathematik und fördert bei jungen Lernenden das Erlangen von Team-, Kommunikations- und Problemlösungsfähigkeiten. Diese sollen Kinder letztlich dazu befähigen, den sich wandelnden Anforderungen ihrer Lebenswelt gewachsen zu sein und aktiv ihre eigene Zukunft zu gestalten. LEGO® Education hat seinen Sitz in Billund, Dänemark und Büros auf der ganzen Welt. Mehr als 200 Mitarbeiter teilen die Vision, alle Schülerinnen und Schüler für lebenslanges Lernen zu begeistern. Mehr unter www.LEGOeducation.de

PHIRO: A LEGO® compatible robot for all kids. Learn to Code in 5 ways.

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Cambridge, MA, November 2nd, 2015- Robotics Education Startup Robotix USA, LLC, lead by two sisters, Deepti Suchindran and Aditi Prasad, with a mission to inspire the innovators of tomorrow, announced today it is raising funds via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to develop coding toys for kids, that makes learning to code fun and easy. The company set out to raise funds on Kickstarter to produce the first batch of their innovative robots, Phiro, that is going to change the educational robotics market. (Phiro on Kickstarter is selected as a Kickstarter ‘Staff Pick’. Link to Kickstarter http://kck.st/1SjqW7H)

Robotix has many years of experience teaching coding and robotics to several K-12 schools. They have evaluated educational robots from all over the world and found gaps. The robots are usually expensive, use proprietary programming languages and are not so fun for kids. Robotix has created Phiro, an affordable robotics & coding toy that helps kids learn to code and develop computational thinking skills. Kids can learn to code in 5 ways, either without a computer or with open-source programming languages that millions of kids use and love. Phiro is a LEGO® compatible robotics toy that kids can play, code & innovate with to develop 21st century skills.

“In today’s technology-driven and rapidly changing world, being computational thinkers to solve problems is an essential skill for children to learn. Computational thinking is a critical 21st century skill that is relevant to all fields from economics, sports, medicine, law, and engineering. Research shows that one of the most effective ways for kids, as young as 4, to learn computational thinking is through coding and robotics”- said Deepti Suchindran, PhD, CEO, Robotix USA.

“With Phiro children get to see the practical application of programmes they have created instantaneously”- said Dr. Wolfgang Slany, Professor of Computer Science & Head of the Institute for Software Technology, Graz University of Technology, Austria.

With Phiro, kids can play music, make a movie, create games, flash lights, detect faces and much more. Coding and playing with Phiro empowers and inspires kids to be creators and innovators of tomorrow.  Robotix has created two robots: Phiro Unplugged & Phiro Pro. Both robots come fully assembled and are ready to learn from & play with, right out of the box.

Phiro Unplugged for kids ages 4 to 8. Kids can learn to code & program the robot without a computer! Phiro Unplugged is a great robotic tool to learn Sequential programming and Binary Coding.

Phiro Pro for young people ages 9 to 18. Kids can program Phiro Pro with a computer, tablet or smartphone connected wirelessly via Bluetooth to Scratch 2.0 (MIT, USA), Snap4Arduino (UC Berkeley/Citilab, Spain), Pocket Code mobile apps (Graz University of Technology, Austria). Learners can connect to a community on-line enabling collaboration, sharing & learning. Phiro Pro also has all the capabilities of Phiro Unplugged.

“In one package Phiro does what a whole lot of other systems do individually so it really helps to bring all those together … and make it more cost effective for the classroom”- said Daniel Riles, Technology Integration Specialist, Brookwood School, Boston, USA.

Robotix has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to manufacture the robots for the global market, which will be ready for Kickstarter supporters in the 2nd quarter of 2016 with special Kickstarter launch prices at $99 (Phiro Unplugged) and $149 (Phiro Pro) during the campaign. Crowdfunding and detailed features of Phiro Unplugged and Phiro Pro can be found here:  www.robotixedu.com and on our Twitter at twitter.com/RobotixLS and Facebook at facebook.com/robotixedu

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Introduces Mobile Programming With New EV3 Programmer App For Tablets

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NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Today the LEGO Group announced the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 Programmer App, a new application that allows builders to create programs for MINDSTORMS robots directly from iOS and Android tablet devices. Featuring a streamlined selection of the most-used commands, the EV3 Programmer App allows for more interaction away from the desktop or laptop computer, giving users even more freedom to explore and tinker with the MINDSTORMS platform.  The EV3 Programmer App will be available in free versions for iOS and Android tablets in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Danish, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean and Russian in late November 2015. The app is not a standalone experience, but designed for LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3, the LEGO construction set that allows you to build and program robots that do what you want them to do (U.S. SRP $349).

The EV3 Programmer App consists of the 11 most popular programming blocks in the LEGO MINDSTORMS software, including action blocks, flow blocks and comment blocks. After writing and saving a program within the app, a user can progress to more advanced programming by opening it in the LEGO MINDSTORMS desktop software.  To provide additional inspiration for beginner robot makers, the app will feature building missions, videos and building instructions for five starter robots that represent a variety of building and programming experiences all while delivering the fun factor for which LEGO building is known.

„By extending MINDSTORMS robotic programming to tablets, we are embracing the ‚anywhere, anytime‘ of mobile devices to unleash even more creativity in building and programming with MINDSTORMS,“ said Filippa Malmegard, LEGO MINDSTORMS community manager. „When we untether the experience from the desktop, programming really becomes a playful extension of building, allowing users to add a new behavior or interactivity to their LEGO creations. This extra level of mobility will make the EV3 Programmer App an accessible and convenient programming starter experience for a new generation of users, while at the same time adding play value for our existing MINDSTORMS Community.“

From Play to Prototype: LEGO MINDSTORMS at World Maker Faire and Smithsonian Innovation Festival
To further inspire the next generation of innovators, the LEGO Group is showcasing the creativity and innovation of the MINDSTORMS Community at two high profile events this weekend, World Maker Faire, September 26-27, in New York, NY, and the Smithsonian Innovation Festival, September 26 – 27, in Washington, DC. At each event, MINDSTORMS makers will demonstrate inventions they’ve built using MINDSTORMS building sets as prototyping tools in addition to showcasing a variety of fun LEGO robots.

A number of recipients of LEGO Prototyping Kits from this summer’s Play to Prototyping Challenge, launched during the National Week of Making in June, will participate in World Maker Faire. LEGO MINDSTORMS Community Manager Filippa Malmegard will also moderate a panel on the topic „From Play to Prototype“ where featured builders will discuss how LEGO bricks and elements can serve as a creative prototyping platform for new concepts and inventions ranging from prosthetics to 3D printers. (Saturday, September 26, 3:45PM – 4:15 PM)

At the Smithsonian Innovation Festival in Washington, DC, Shubham Banerjee, the 14-year-old founder of Braigo Labs will demonstrate his braille printer built entirely from LEGO MINDSTORMS and share his process of invention with attendees.  Alongside Shubham, Cameron Kruse, Fulbright alumni and LEGO MINDSTORMS builder will demonstrate a prototype for his baseball mudder, a machine that can apply the same amount of mud to each new baseball, eliminating inconsistencies in the ways mud was applied to new baseballs before they were used in a game. Both Shubham and Cameron will participate in 15 minute Q&A interviews as part of the event as well.

The EV3 Programmer App for tablets will be available through the App Store and Google Play in late November 2015. For more information on LEGO MINDSTORMS and examples of robots built using LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3, please visit www.LEGO.com/MINDSTORMS.

WiFi DyIO Robotics Controller and BowerStudio Software

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*Kickstarter launching on September 15, 2015 at
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/neuronrobotics/wifi-dyio-robot-controller-w-24-channels

The WiFi DyIO (dynamic input and output device) is a wireless
micro-controller with 24 channels for robots, precision lasers, medical
equipment, 3D printers, motors, cameras, data sensors and more. With the
second generation WiFi DyIO, you can control all your devices with a
computer or Android phone—even with little programing knowledge. And
because WiFi DyIO simply coordinates the processors on your computer
wirelessly to your robot, it operates with JAVA programing language from
across the room, or around the globe.

The controller works seamlessly with Neuron Robotics Cooperative’s
<https://neuronrobotics.com> free, open-source
software, BowlerStudio, which allows the virtual design and testing of
different robotics systems and parts. There are powerful modeling tools for
adept programmers, as well as easy-to-use, customizable templates for
first-time designers. Features include coordination with 3D printers to
quickly and effortlessly print custom limbs, bodies and other parts.

The DyIO/BowlerStudio system is simple and intuitive for classroom lessons
with 8-year-olds, and powerful enough for a Ph.D robotics engineer. Its
software was used to perform surgery within an MRI
<http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/medical-robots/inside-an-mri-a-nonmetallic-robot-performs-prostate-surgery>
and the DyIO itself is used to teach classes at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute.

DyIO and BowlerStudio have been featured on 3DPrint.com, 3ders.org and is a
semifinalist for the Hackaday Prize.

The first generation, USB-connection DyIOs are available at Microcenters
throughout the U.S. and are being used in college and grade school
classrooms. In order to take the functional WiFi-enabled prototype into
production, Neuron Robotics Cooperative is looking to Kickstarter for
$35,000.