Photon – a Child Friendly Code Teaching Robot About to Join Kickstarter

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BIALYSTOK, Poland, 10.05.2016 – Photon Entertainment announced a crowdfunding campaign for Photon – world’s first interactive robot that grows up with children while teaching them programming.
The campaign is launching on May 31st and will take place over the course of six weeks. Price ranges from $149 for a super early bird version to $199 for a regular one. Stretch goals include backer exclusive accessories for the robot (such as a jetpack or mouth allowing for speech visualization) as well as donations for various child related charities (cancer wards, orphanages and others).

Photon is a robot meant to educate children through a mixture of storytelling, challenges and latest technology. It comes equipped with a variety of sensors that allow it to see, hear, feel the touch, distinguish between light and dark, measure proximity and more. Programming language used by the robot is inspired by Scratch and Google Blockly, which makes it simple and digestible by even the youngest users.


The robot comes with a paired application adjusted for both smartphones and tablets. Here, children learn the story of Photon – a little robot whose flying saucer crashed on earth. By completing coding related tasks they help him gain his senses back, and rebuild his spaceship. App encourages friendly competition and cooperation thanks to the inclusion of high scores, leaderboards and daily tasks. Experience points gained by progressing allow kids to customize their robot and decide the order in which he develops, making each unit unique.
“In four years there will be a gap of over a million computing jobs and candidates available for grabbing” says Marcin Joka, the CEO of Photon Entertainment. “We want to take part in closing that gap and proving that with a proper set of tools even a six year old can successfully learn how to code, and have a huge advantage in his or her future career”. The idea for creating Photon comes from minds of Marcin Joka, Krzysztof Dziemańczuk, Michał Bogucki and Maciej Kopczyński, four students and one academic lecturer form Bialystok University of Technology, Poland. The creators have received numerous distinctions and honorable mentions for their work. One of team members took part in creating an award winning Mars Rover Hyperion 2.

Rokenbok Toys Come to Life with Arduino Programming

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Solana Beach, CA – Rokenbok Education launched a Kickstarter campaign today for the ROKduino Programmable Robotics Set. The set comes with step-by-step instructions to build and program a beetle bot, a scorpion hunter and an auto-Ferris Wheel. With over 400 building components, including sensors, motor modules, hinges, wheels and gears – and a brand new Arduino-based smart block – imagination is the only limit to what children can build.

The heart of this robotics set is the new ROKduino smart block. After building their creation with Rokenbok building components, children plug the ROKduino into a computer and start coding. With Rokenbok’s step-by-step instructions and drag-and-drop programming, kids as young as eight years old can enjoy the satisfaction of bringing their robots to life. After mastering the basics, it’s a snap to step into full Arduino programming. Rokenbok will supply code blocks that can be downloaded from their site, but users are also free to use code from anywhere in the Arduino community.

“Understanding how technology works is so valuable to today’s children, and we love helping them build these skills,” says Paul Eichen, Executive Director of Rokenbok Education. “Learning about robotics includes computer science, mechanical and structural engineering, and physics. I just love seeing the incredible ideas children come up with as they learn through play.”
The microcontroller in the ROKduino smart block is an ATmega32U4, which is the same chip used in the Arduino Leonardo. Everything included in the robotics set, including the ROKduino, can snap into every building component Rokenbok has ever produced. Plus, Rokenbok will be providing downloadable CAD files for 3D printers, so families will be able to create their own custom components.
The Rokenbok Programmable Robotics Set will retail for $300, but will go for $249 during the Kickstarter campaign and as little as $175 for the first fifty backers.

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

Pictures of VEX Worlds 2016 Part 2

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Innovators offered chance to develop their ideas with world leading robotics manufacturer ABB Robotics

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London, U.K. – 1 May 2016 –Innovation platform, The IdeaHub, is once again recruiting robotics and software innovators worldwide to take on the challenge of improving the way we work and interact with the next generation of industrial robots. Working on behalf of ABB Robotics, IdeaHub will help successful applicants pitch their ideas and secure uniquely tailored support packages to maximise their venture’s commercial potential, including investment, mentoring and access to cutting edge hardware.

The IdeaHub is a cross sector, open innovation platform that connects visionaries worldwide with funding and support from global corporations. In 2015 they ran their first programme for ABB Robotics, attracting over 130 applicants with 12 finalists selected for a pitch day in London, with 6 entrepreneurs receiving an offer of support. For 2016 they are partnering with ABB Robotics once again to bring more solutions to solve three core challenges in the world collaborative industrial robotics:

1.) Simplicity: How to simplify robotics

2.) Intelligence: How to enable robots to learn and apply that learning

3.) Digitalization: How smart connectivity will enhance digital factories.

Much more information can be found at www.theideahub.co.uk/challenges.

 

The IdeaHub platform launches today and is open for applications until 30th July 2016. Successful applicants will get the chance to pitch their ideas directly to ABB Robotics at an IdeaHub event in August 2016. There is no limit to number of offers that might be made, which can include funding, access to robots, technology and commercial support as appropriate to the needs of their business.

Simon Blair, from the IdeaHub said, “This is a great opportunity for robotics and software innovators and entrepreneurs around the world to collaborate with a leading robotics company and take their idea to the next level.  All negotiations are directly between successful applicants and ABB Robotics, so outcomes can be structured to the specific needs of each successful venture. Our programme aims to compliment your business and not restrict it in anyway – we don’t operate an incubator period, we don’t set any pre-defined terms and we don’t insist on equity sacrifice as part of any deals borne out of the programme.”

Applying to the IdeaHub takes a few minutes and only requires information already in the public domain. Visit www.theideahub.co.uk for more information and further contact details.

Spannende Workshops und Vorträge auf der Maker Faire

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Sound löten, Roboter bauen und Upcycling lernen

Hannover, 17. Mai 2016 – Auf der Maker Faire Hannover am 28. und 29. Mai im HCC zeigen kreative Köpfe, Erfinder und Querdenker ihre ausgefallenen Ideen. Rund 800 Maker werben an 170 Ständen und in über 30 Vorträgen und Workshops für den neuen Do-it-Yourself-Trend und inspirieren zum Mitmachen und Nachahmen.

Der Diplom-Designer Florian Fusco zeigt in seinem Workshop „Sound löten“ , wie man aus einer Lichtquelle, etwa einer Kerze, ein Musikinstrument bastelt. Das Löten der drei Bauteile, die sich im Kern der Soundmaschinen befinden, gelingt ohne Vorkenntnisse.

Ohne Vorwissen können Besucherinnen und Besucher auch lernen, wie man einen Roboter baut, der Hindernissen ausweicht oder Gegenstände und Linien verfolgt. Tino Werner, Erfinder und Entwickler von analogen Steuerungsverfahren, hat diesen Roboterbausatz eigens für die Maker Faire entwickelt.

In Vorträgen können Interessierte sich über „die Technik­geschichte mit fischertechnik“ informieren, erfahren, wie man LEDs auf Kleidung bügelt oder lernen, wie man mit Lego oder Minecraft filmt beziehungsweise programmiert. Erfinder Hans-Ludwig Stille stellt eine neuartige Wasserkraft­maschine zur Gewinnung von regenerativer Energie aus Fließwasser vor, die Näh-Künstlerin Dagma Wolff erläutert den Upcycling-Prozess vom alten Jeanshemd zur neuen Jacke. Cosplayer Rudolf Arnold spricht in seinem Vortrag über lebendige Comic-Figuren und das phaeno Wolfsburg stellt seinumfangreiches Experimentier- und Entdeckerprogramm vor.

Weitere Informationen zum Programm des familienfreundlichen Festivals findet man auf der Webseite maker-faire.de. Hier erfährt man auch, welche Maker ausstellen, wann welche Vorträge und Workshops starten und ob sie anmeldepflichtig sind. Die Tagestickets kosten 11 Euro (ermäßigt 7 Euro), Familien mit zwei Kindern zahlen 20 Euro. Kinder unter 6 Jahren zahlen keinen Eintritt.

Maker Faire Hannover ist eine unabhängig organisierte Veranstaltung unter der Lizenz von Maker Media, Inc.

Maker Faire Berlin – Ticket-Vorverkauf gestartet/Call for Makers läuft noch bis zum 31. Juli 2016

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Hannover, 15. Juni 2016 – Nach dem erfolgreichen Auftakt im vergangenen Jahr kommt das weltgrößte Do-it-Yourself-Festival zum zweiten Mal in die Hauptstadt. Vom 30. September bis zum 2. Oktober findet die Maker Faire in Berlin Kreuzberg in der STATION statt. Wer als Aussteller dabei sein möchte, sollte möglichst schnell reagieren: Maker können ihre Projekte bis zum 31. Juli einreichen, interessierte Besucherinnen und Besucher haben noch bis zum 31. August Zeit, um Tickets zum Vorzugspreis zu bestellen.

Für eine interessante Mischung auf der Maker Faire Berlin sucht das Magazin Make noch kreative Aussteller, Workshops und Vorträge. Bastler, Technikverrückte, Steam­punk-Fans, Designer von Wearables, 3D-Druck-Begeisterte oder Quadro­kopter-Piloten, kurzum Selbermacher mit spannenden Ideen sind gefragt. Private Maker – auch FabLabs, Hackerspaces oder Repair-Cafés – können bis zum 31. Juli 2016 ihre kostenlosen Stände anmelden.

„Neugierig sind wir auch, was sich der Nachwuchs so alles einfallen lässt. Über Projekteinreichungen von engagierten Schulklassen und Schülergruppen oder auch von Technik AGs und Jugendzentren freuen uns wir immer ganz besonders“, sagt Philip Steffan, Community Manager der Maker Faire. „Aber nicht nur als Aussteller sind Jugendliche gern gesehen, sondern auch als Besucher.Der erste Maker-Faire-Tag, der 30. September, ist ausschließlich für Schulen reserviert. Schülerinnen und Schüler können einen Vormittag (9 –13 Uhr) lang mit ihren Lehrkräften die bunte Vielfalt des Selbermachens kennenlernen. Für Lehrer gibt es Workshops und Austauschmöglichkeiten. Die Anmeldung läuft über unsere Homepage .“

Auch kommerzielle Aussteller sind auf der Maker Faire Berlin herzlich willkommen. Im Mediaportal des Make-Magazins fin­den sie verschiedene Partner- oder Sponsoringpakete, um ihr Unternehmen kreativen, technik- und wissenschafts­begeisterten Menschen vorzustellen.

Wer sich die Maker Faire Berlin, präsentiert vom Magazin Make, nicht entgehen lassen will, der kann sich online bereits jetzt seine Tickets sichern. Noch bis zum 31. August gilt der Frühbucherrabatt: Die Tagestickets kosten 9 statt 12 Euro, Familien mit maximal zwei Kindern zahlen 18 statt 24 Euro. Der Verkauf läuft über den Ticketshop der Maker-Faire-Webseite. Hier gibt es auch alle wichtigen Informationen rund um das bunte Familien-Festival.

FRANKA EMIKA: Everybody’s Robot

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KBee announces the world’s first cost-efficient Industry 4.0 robot that everybody can program and safely use.

Munich, Germany – April 23, 2016. KBee introduces FRANKA EMIKA—a revolutionary human-centered robotic system—to the market. FRANKA EMIKA is designed for human-robot collaboration, is extremely cost-efficient and lives in the cloud. FRANKA EMIKA is also the first robot that builds itself; therefore perfectly suited for mass production.

FRANKA_EMIKA

FRANKA EMIKA was built, designed and developed by KBee AG. It is a collaborative, lightweight robot system that is designed specifically to serve and seamlessly interact with humans. FRANKA EMIKA can be operated and programmed by anyone, regardless of technical skill, in just a few minutes through a visually intuitive setup process.

FRANKA EMIKA consists of the robot system FRANKA ARM and FRANKA CONTROL, the gripper FRANKA HAND, the software FRANKA DESK, and is connected to the FRANKA CLOUD.

KBee’s CEO, Sami Haddadin, states that, “We strongly believe that FRANKA EMIKA will be a game changer not only in intelligent robotics but also far beyond, opening the doors to a new world of connected digital intelligence accessible to everybody.”

FRANKA ARM is a human-safe, force-limited robot arm with torque sensors in all 7 axes that enable humanlike arm agility and sensitivity. FRANKA EMIKA also has a unique workspace that ranges from close to its base to a maximum reach equivalent to the length of a human arm. With a payload of 3 kg and a repeatability of 0.1mm, FRANKA ARM enables a wide range of possible applications for customers.

Prof. Gerd Hirzinger, who was the first robotics researcher to receive all international robotics and automation awards, says, „Worldwide, robotics researchers are convinced that sensitive torque controlled robots are the future; in particular when considering the large scale future topics such as robotic assistance, safe human-robot collaboration in production or service robotics. Interestingly, this novel technology was often considered to be far too complex to be realized. However, the FRANKA EMIKA robot is the perfect exemplar of the synergies between mechatronics and digitalization in the context of Industry 4.0, and I believe it is the long yearned for breakthrough.“

FRANKA DESK, which is the visual and APP-based programming software, runs on the browsers of everyday devices like tablets and computers. Thanks to its intuitive, user-centered set-up and programming system, no special skills are necessary to operate the robot, even for its most complex applications. Therefore, everybody can easily operate FRANKA EMIKA.

With the revolutionary FRANKA CLOUD, it is possible to deploy 1 or 1,000 FRANKA EMIKA robots in no time, and to share and archive TASKS and APPs locally or globally. FRANKA CLOUD enables a seamless connection to Industry 4.0.

FRANKA EMIKA will be unveiled to the public on April 25, 2016 at Hannover Messe Hall 17 / G17.

 

About KBee AG:

KBee AG is based in Munich and was founded in 2013 by the DLR spinoff, Kastanienbaum GmbH. Its main investor, KUKA AG, is one of the world’s leading robot manufacturers. KBee develops and designs human-centered industrial robots that can be used by anyone and are unmatched in cost-efficiency. KBee’s vision is to make robots a commodity by putting humans at the center of robot design, to introduce the most intuitive customer experience, and to connect automation with digitalization.

All new Little Robot Friends Wrap STEM Principles in a Tiny, Adorable package

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Launched this morning on Kickstarter, Little Robot Friends (LRF) are an exciting addition to any modern learning environment. Cute and programmable, these robotic characters serve as a novel entry-point for learning code and electronics along with crucial STEM/STEAM skills.

Geared towards children aged 8 and up, LRF’s are available in 4 models – Spikey, Curvy,
Ghosty and the all new Crafty. Each model features a distinctly shaped body, various
sensing modules and a unique, customizable personality. Spikey, Curvy and Ghosty are
available pre-assembled or as DIY kits for those looking to build their soldering skills. Crafty comes as a kit with all the same components as the other robots, but those components are modular and reusable. This provides an endless combination of interaction possibilities for modelling STEAM topics. Little Robot Friends characters evolve organically through play or can be customizable through coding.

Children can transform Crafty into custom creations with any conductive material such as
alligator clips, wire or using conductive thread or yarn. The kit opens up the potential for
children to create an LRF in a myriad of materials including paper craft, felt or 3D-printed
objects. Little Robot Friends bridges the gap between the technical and non-technical skills in a playful way by utilizing soft skills such as teamwork, collaboration and critical thinking.

Little Robot Friends purpose extends beyond physical play. Students and instructors can
also program LRF across several platforms, each suitable for a different skill level. The LRF App introduces programming concepts without the need for coding. Through the app,
children can upload tricks to their robot, customize its personality, teach it to sing robot
songs and play games. In the Little Robot Friends visual programming language, beginner
coders can use drag-and-drop elements to create and run functional programs for the
robot. As students become more confident in their programming, they can move on to
using the LRF library for Arduino. Each of these platforms introduce children to computer
programming in a creative, exploratory way and help them build a solid foundation in
computational thinking. This will put them at a huge advantage to becoming effective
problem solvers in a increasingly technology-dependent world.

Integrating computer literacy into the curriculum is a vital issue in modern education. Little
Robot Friends provides illustrative educational materials meant for both classroom learning and individual exploration. Instructors are aided by the easy-to-follow lessons plans that support core curricular items such as math, science and language arts. The robots friendly persona and tactile design encourages experiential learning, either independently or in groups. Little Robot Friends have been designed to facilitate learning across subjects and disciples to make technology more accessible and fun.

“We feel the best way to teach technology is to make learning casual and rewarding” says
Mark Argo, founder and principal technologist at Aesthetec Studio. “Developing characters
and stories is common across all ages and cultures. With Little Robot Friends we encourage children to creatively experiment with technology to make their characters expressive and unique.”

Little Robot Friends can be purchased on the campaign website until May 27th, 2016 at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aesthetec/all-new-little-robot-friends