Root Robot Teaches Coding To Children

The digital age has certainly brought with it its fair bit of advancements, and this would also mean having robots work alongside us humans. Granted, robots do happen to do well in highly repetitive tasks such as assembling vehicles and other electronics, but as a teacher? This is certainly a quantum leap, as you can see in Root, the robot that can teach code.

Researchers over at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, are the ones behind this particular robot known as Root. Raphael Cherney, a research associate at the institute, shared, “Right now, coding is taught at a computer keyboard. It’s an abstract process that doesn’t have a relationship to the real world. What Root does is bring coding to life in an extremely fun and approachable way. Kids with no experience in coding can be programming robots in a matter of minutes.”

Root would fill the niche of an old school remote-controlled toy train and that of modern day video games, where it will be programmed via a tablet interface known as Square. Root will boast of light and color sensors, bumpers, and a touch surface, allowing it to respond to the physical world. Hopefully such a cute little device will be able to inspire the next generation of coders.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Root