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back to article Daaa-aaad. She took my coding robot. No, I had it first

As the global focus on computing curricula intensifies and parents continue to push their kids towards STEM subjects in the hopes that leads to better opportunities later on in life, the proliferation of "coding kits" aimed at kids is keeping pace. Much of this seeks to teach the fundamentals of programming in an age- …

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  1. Joe W Silver badge

    Mindstorms!

    They use LabVIEW as the programming interface. Great fun, had not programed in LabVIEW in ages.

    1 1 Reply
    1. Just Saying 132
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      Re: Mindstorms!

      Exactly. The first thing that popped in to my mind was "this sounds a lot like Lego Mindstorms". Add to that how it scales and the LabVIEW interface and the imagination is the limit.

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    2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge
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      Re: Mindstorms!

      Yes, between Mindstorms for somewhat older kids, and toys like the Fisher-Price Code-a-piller for younger ones, I'm not sure what new opportunity this Robo Wunderkind brings to the table.

      In my day a number of kids got their first experience of programmable robots from toys like Big Trak, which was often enough to whet the appetite. But how many variations on this theme do we need?

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  2. Chris G

    Sounds interesting

    I wonder if I could drop hints to the missus for crimbo?

    At my age, I am allegedly approaching my second childhood, though to be honest I never entirely abandoned the first one.

    11 0 Reply
    1. MiguelC Silver badge
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      Re: Sounds interesting

      I still hint SWMBO at some LEGO sets... why not robots :)

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    2. martinusher Silver badge
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      Re: Sounds interesting

      These kits tend to be kind of boring if you're used to programming firmware.

      We've been forcing kids to 'code' since the 80s and the result seems to be legions of Javascript programmers. I'm not sure that was a particularly good outcome.

      3 1 Reply

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. Tyr
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        Re: Sounds interesting

        I agree that past coding efforts have really only led to masses of web developers and there has been a significant lack of firmware in education, but that's what Robo Wunderkind addresses by providing so many different modules to build your project with. It abstracts the electrical complexity and allows the user to have basic, intermediate or advanced control over them with their programming interfaces.

        A child could really start just by dragging their finger across a screen to make their project move and flash lights, to writing basic sequences, to developing purposeful unique projects of their own creation.

        I really think this product is one of a kind and really want to see more.

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  3. David Shaw

    don't forget those cardboard VR kits etc to augment any Nintendo Switch owning families

    Nintendo Labo Toy-con 04: VR Kit - Starter Set + Blaster (Nintendo Switch)

    Nintendo Labo: Kit VR - Nintendo Switch & camera expansion pack

    add a bit of velcro, bits of head-torch straps etc, and preferably a carpeted room, and your kids can experiment rather than just game

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  4. The Dark Side Of The Mind (TDSOTM)

    Dave, I'm afraid I can't let you do that.

    Do they come with the flamethrower option?

    ...

    The power axe option, then?

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