mBOT: robot to learn to program

mBOT is a small open source android created by the Makeblock company. Surely the company sounds familiar to you because of a recent campaign to finance the mDrawBot robot, another of its products. But now it has launched another campaign for the development of mBOT, a small robot aimed at being a powerful tool for classrooms and teaching children to program.

Kibo is another little android which came to the fore last year, but is outnumbered by mBOT even though they are both destined for the same purpose. To be attractive, it relies on two basic pillars, one is its programming platform called MBLOCK and that is based on the famous Scratch 2.0. The other pillar on which it develops is a plate Arduino modified for easy use by students and teachers.

All under the philosophy of free software to generate interesting and fun exercises where students can learn to program and have an interest in this doctrine from a young age. The development community has created tutorials and an online platform to help teachers create interesting exercises that exploit the full potential of the bot.

He has already met his goal in crowdfounding, reaching $ 20.000 on Kickstarter. Now, Makeblock's product will go on the market for a price about $ 49. A fairly economical price so that its success extends to all budgets and to all audiences, even those who have no experience thanks to its simple graphic language.