Photo: Kickstarter
If you’re looking into ways to teach your kid how to code, this doesn’t always have to come down to complex programming languages and hours spent in front of a computer.
The TPBot Smart Car is living proof that the whole thing can become an interactive activity, as the device is supposed to help children learn coding by creating the instructions to put the car in motion.
In essence just a toy car, TPBot becomes a smart gadget when you connect a micro:bit motherboard, and using Microsoft’s MakeCode editor, kids can start coding various functions for their small robot.
And there’s more. TPBot is fully modular, which means that you can connect additional electronic modules to expand its capabilities, including sensors and other parts that you can find online. And as an extra, it’s compatible with various toy bricks, so you can customize its looks and transform the car into anything you like.
As for more technical stuff, the coding will happen in Python, and the car can be further enhanced with a four-way sensor connection and a four-way servo connection. There are four batteries powering the small toy, each with 1.5V.
TPBot is currently listed on Kickstarter, so it needs crowdfunding to come to be. But by the looks of things, this is no longer a problem, as the $5,000 goal has already been surpassed, with the current donations exceeding $6,400 and 27 days still left from the campaign.
If you want to be one of the first getting a TPBot, all you need to do is support the Kickstarter campaign by pledging $45 on this page. A $70 donation, however, will guarantee not only a TPBot car, but also the micro:bit motherboard and a series of extras, like a bricks pack to customize the looks of the robot, a color sensor, and a gesture sensor.
The toy is projected to begin shipping to Kickstarter supporters in September this year.
In essence just a toy car, TPBot becomes a smart gadget when you connect a micro:bit motherboard, and using Microsoft’s MakeCode editor, kids can start coding various functions for their small robot.
And there’s more. TPBot is fully modular, which means that you can connect additional electronic modules to expand its capabilities, including sensors and other parts that you can find online. And as an extra, it’s compatible with various toy bricks, so you can customize its looks and transform the car into anything you like.
As for more technical stuff, the coding will happen in Python, and the car can be further enhanced with a four-way sensor connection and a four-way servo connection. There are four batteries powering the small toy, each with 1.5V.
TPBot is currently listed on Kickstarter, so it needs crowdfunding to come to be. But by the looks of things, this is no longer a problem, as the $5,000 goal has already been surpassed, with the current donations exceeding $6,400 and 27 days still left from the campaign.
If you want to be one of the first getting a TPBot, all you need to do is support the Kickstarter campaign by pledging $45 on this page. A $70 donation, however, will guarantee not only a TPBot car, but also the micro:bit motherboard and a series of extras, like a bricks pack to customize the looks of the robot, a color sensor, and a gesture sensor.
The toy is projected to begin shipping to Kickstarter supporters in September this year.
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