Quirkbot: The Programmable Microcontroller Toy Aims to Get Kids Coding

 Gadgets  

Getting kids excited about the possibilities of coding and robotics is the goal of the crowd funding project, Quirkbot.  The toy uses simple objects like drinking straws, combined with servos and web-based programming to let kids use their imagination and learn.

Quirkbot is an ingenious toy which has been in the design and prototype stage for over a year.  The premise is simple – this toy will enable you to build your own robot, to program it and make your own toys!

It is made up of a microcontroller, which can be programmed via USB directly from the company website. By attaching drinking straws and servos (motors) the only limit on your creation is your imagination, simple drag and drop technology allows the programming which brings your creation to life. The company aim is to provide every child the opportunity to learn how to program.

The Company

Quirkbot is one of many technology company start ups in 2015, but they are probably the only one so far using drinking straws. In order to get their product, described as, "a hackable toy for all ages" to the open market they have launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign with the aim of raising the $55,000 needed. A whopping $16,000 was raised on the first day of the campaign.

How it works

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The Quirkbot microcontroller can be programmed to trigger motion, lights, and sounds. It can be connected to a variety of everyday objects as well as the straws and servos already mentioned.  The hope is that children will build their own robot and then, will further explore its potential by using it as a game controller for applications running on their computers and tablets. These can be created by using such things as bananas, maybe not a practical long term controller, but an excellent way to realize that anything can have a dual use and be modified to become something unique.

All creations can be shared on the Quirkbot website. Hopefully, this will inspire children to become more and more imaginative and explore the world of coding, to learn how to create the technology, not just to use it. Any creation can be designed to stand alone, or for additional effects, can be connected to musical instruments or your computer. As the toy links the physical world with the online world, it is hoped it will open people’s eyes to the potential all around us.

The conception

The product was first conceived after a series of ‘Kids hack’ days, and the first device was made from an old toy; the full prototype was created after Strawbees and Ideofon (a Swedish agency) saw the potential in the idea and offered their assistance.

This is not the first technological start up to use crowdfunding; in 2013 Kano raised $1.5 million to fund a build-it-yourself computer and Play-i raised $1 million for their programmable robots Bo and Yana. There are a variety of kits available, all from the Kickstarter website, from the basic Quirkbot, which sells for $55 with the potential to spend more if you want a Strawbees kits included.

Developers can buy kits with more parts in – the developer kit for $109 or the Hacker Heaven for $149. Schools and colleges are also being targeted and can purchase workshop kits by pledging $999. For those really committed to opening up new opportunities there is even a workshop day, with the inventors of Quirkbot, although this will set you back $8,500.

Quirkbot has the potential to be much more than a passing fad, a toy played with and discarded.  The ingenious creation brings the fun into programming, helps people of all ages understand how to program at a very basic level and opens the doors to a future of programmers, each of which will see the sky as the starting point, not the limit.

By Fredrick Cameron and Make Up Games 365!

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