“Putting things that fascinate kids in front of them and
giving them an imaginative tool, a way of creating what
might not be accessible to them in any other way, can
open patterns of thought and a desire to push further.
Cubelets abstracts away some of the hard part: the need
to learn how to code before you can actually build a
robot, for example, or the need to know a little bit of
electrical engineering—say, soldering and how to build
a circuit—in order to build a physical robot,” Barwick
says. “Our hope is that by creating those exposure
opportunities for kids, that creates patterns that will
hopefully continue as they start to grow up and allow
them to feel more comfortable with the challenge of
exploring robotics or computer science.”
LittleBits has a similar feel to Cubelets: It also uses
small electronics components that snap together
magnetically to create a variety of projects and sells at
around $100, with plenty of expansion sets available.
And it also has roots in academia. LittleBits CEO Ayah
Bdeir got the idea for her company as a student in the
MIT Media Lab. She wanted to create building blocks to
make technology more accessible.
Modular Robotics
says Cubelets can
be used to teach
everything from
design thinking
to engineering
and collaboration.LittleBits
founder and
CEO Ayah
Bdeir got the
idea for her
company as
a student in
the MIT
Media Lab.