October 31, 2013Play-i bots teach tots how to program

Play-i's robots teach kids the basics of programming while they have fun

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With just a few taps on a tablet screen, children as young as 5 are programming a pair of robots called Bo and Yana using a simple GUI. Looking a bit like the cute one-eyed monsters from a Pixar film, the bots are the flagship products of a start-up called Play-i, founded by a team with experience at Amazon and Apple. In just two days, the company has nearly reached its crowdfunding goal of US$250,000, with plans to send out the first batch in the northern summer of 2014.

Many of us grew up with the odd remote-controlled toy or video game, but how they worked was often totally opaque. Educational robotic toys like Lego Mindstorms give kids the chance to learn what makes these things tick. What separates Bo and Yana from the pack is their ease of programming. Kids simply launch the Play-i app on a tablet (iOS and Android will be supported) to begin experimenting with icons representing different functions. As kids play, they'll begin to connect the dots (and functions) to create more complex actions.

The bots are capable of simple motor movements, feature colorful lights in their "eyes" and "ears," and speakers for playing back sound effects and music. Sensors for noise (such as clapping), and distance (to stop before running into a wall), infrared (for robot-to-robot communication), as well as accelerometers and gyroscopes are all programmable. And if they outgrow Play-i's GUI, they can explore coding languages like Scratch and Blockly.

Bo is the heavy lifter of the pair, containing motors for moving around and a host of sensors and programmable functions. Yana, on the other hand, doesn't really move on its own, serving instead as a kind of companion that interacts when Bo is nearby. Both robots feature "multi-function attachment points," which will allow users to extend their capabilities with accessories. It's possible that different bases will be sold allowing Yana to move on its own.

Pricing is important with toys like this, especially when they rely on additional devices like tablet PCs. By keeping the bots' tech relatively simple, Play-i has set a fairly attractive price point of $150 for Bo and $49 for Yana (or $189 for both). By comparison, the ixi-play owl, a stationary robot toy, is priced at $299. However, the company says this introductory price will go up after the first round is produced, and specifics on accessories remain to be announced.

You can watch a promo for the robots below.

Play-i机器人教小孩子学编程

10月31日2013Play-I机器人教TOTS如何program

播放，我的机器人教孩子们编程的基础知识，而他们有乐趣

图片廊（7张）

只需轻点几下平板电脑的屏幕上，孩子年仅5正在编写一对机器人叫做博雅娜用一个简单的GUI。看起来有点像从皮克斯电影中可爱的独眼怪物的机器人是一个初创的主打产品叫玩-I，由一组与亚马逊和苹果的经验成立。在短短两天内，该公司已经接近美国的集资目标$ 250,000有计划地选派了首批2014

我们很多的北半球夏季长大的奇遥控玩具或视频游戏，但他们是如何工作往往是完全不透明。教育机器人玩具一样LEGO MINDSTORMS给孩子学习的机会是什么使这些东西打勾。什么分隔博和雅娜从包是其易于编程。孩子们只需启动游戏，我的应用程序的平板电脑（iOS和Android将支持）开始与代表不同的功能图标进行试验。由于孩子玩，他们就会开始连接点（和功能）来创建更复杂的动作。

的机器人能够简单的电机运动，拥有五颜六色的灯光在他们的“眼睛”和“耳朵”和扬声器播放回声音效果和音乐。传感器噪声（如拍手）和距离（运行到一个壁前停止），红外（机器人到机器人的通信），以及加速计和陀螺仪都是可编程的。如果他们长大了玩，我的GUI，他们可以探索编码像从无到有，Blockly语言。

博是对的重型起重器，包含电机移动和一系列传感器和可编程功能。雅娜，在另一方面，并??没有真正打动自己，而不是服务作为一种伴侣的相互作用，博时就在附近。这两个机器人具有“多功能连接点”，这将允许用户在他们的功能扩展及配件。这有可能是不同的基地将被出售，允许雅娜移动自己。

定价是这样的玩具很重要，尤其是当他们依靠像平板电脑其他设备。通过保持机器人“技术相对简单，玩，我已成立的博$ 150和$ 49雅娜（或$ 189两者）一个相当诱人的价格点。相比之下，IXI播放猫头鹰，一个固定的机器人玩具，售价为$ 299