Arduino pet robots teach kids to code

Plum Geek Robotics, the company that brought the public Ringo the programmable robot has now released another learning robot called Wink.

The Arduino-based STEM education pet robot helps kids transition from graphical style programming to written code. The Wink project was born from a group of educators looking for a robot platform to bridge graphical style programming to “real world” programming languages like Java, Python, C, and C++.

The Scratch programming environment has become a popular way to introduce kids to basic programming concepts since it has an easy and inviting graphical interface.

Eventually students need to move on to writing actual code, so the company designed Wink as the next logical step. Wink teaches students how to program common robotic tasks such as line following, light seeking, barrier detection, autonomous roaming, and creative experimentation.

The robots are small and playful and require minimal storage space between instruction sessions. The creators included parts and sensors on Wink that would enable students to embody the common entry level robotics concepts like line following, light seeking, and barrier detection.

The company has exceeded its initial funding goal on Kickstarter where you can pre-order a Wink for $54.