Programming

Luxonis has launched a hackable, open-source roving robot called rae that packs AI processing and machine learning, depth-sensing cameras, app control and fun RGB lighting into a pint-sized package designed "for every age, and every skill level."

Last year, Hong Kong's MangDang gave programmers the chance to own a small hackable four-legged robot named the Mini Pupper, a kind of baby Spot. Now the team has returned to Kickstarter with a much-improved second generation robo-dog.

Building a robot and then getting it to do exactly what you want it to can be a serious head-scratcher. Taiwan's NUWA Robotics is looking to make things simpler with the RobotCreator DX, plus an easy-to-use cloud-based programming platform.

Though Sphero is probably best known for the BB-8 droid it released in 2015, more recently the focus has been on helping to kickstart future coders with educational bots. Now the indi robocar becomes the company's first robot aimed at early learners.

Drone titan DJI has today added a new model to its recently launched Education division. The company aims to encourage robotics and AI tech learning with a package that includes a teeny drone, an intuitive mobile app and an exclusive curriculum.

Back in 2016, the BBC gave a million tiny computers to UK school kids for free. The micro:bit boards were designed as learning tools to help get youngsters into coding, and now the tiny computer for tiny hands has been updated.

Information can be encoded into many patterns, such as ones and zeroes for computers. A new proof of concept has been demonstrated to encode information into artificial molecules, which could enable programmable materials or new types of computers.

DJI is probably best known for its drones, but last year it launched an educational robot platform named after its annual RomoMaster Robotics Competition. Now the S1 has been joined by the EP Core, the first product in DJI's new Education branch.

We need a great way to teach our kids how to harness their curiosity into something that can be used for later in life. What if we could teach our kids some of the skills that will need to know to be in an industry that is leading the future?

Lego Education has launched a new STEAM learning package designed to give kids of all abilities more coding confidence. The Spike Prime set includes hundreds of Lego bricks, sensors and motors, a programmable multi-port Hub, and a companion app featuring a block-based coding environment.

​Sphero is probably best known for its BB-8 rolling droid, but has recently been aiming its products at future programmers and makers. The company has opted to take to Kickstarter for its latest bot, which has been designed to be tweaked and hacked by adult hobbyists and young roboticists alike.​

Most home robots aren’t particularly customizable. Now robotics startup Ohbot has unveiled its newest creation Picoh, a blank slate of a robot that can be programmed to do basically whatever you want it to do.