The engineers and educators at Kickduino have a vision of teaching programming to the world in a easy and fun way. After several projects incorporating STEM learning, single board computing and programming the group is running a crowdfunding campaign for KicoCarton, a platform to teach robotics and coding.
KicoCarton is a remote control vehicle that runs off an Arduino compatible board and uses Scratch4Arduino for programming. Scratch, Arduino, APP Inventor and multi-language learning can also be used to program the machine. The base model is a yellow bulldozer but other colors and configurations are available through the campaign and the company's website. Motion control sensors, Red and RGB LEDs, speech recgonition support, a speaker, Bluetooth connectivity, and an expansion slot are all part of the initial system. When beginners are fully comfortable using the visual programming languages KicoCarton supports the shift to textual languages. Two motors are used to drive the wheels and a 1800 milliAmpere hour battery powers the system. The entire based model has a 12.7 x 22.2 centimeter footprint and a 15.6 centimeter height.
The campaign has a lack of technical details but is big on ideas for what users can do with the KicoCarton. Temperature, humidity, or gyro sensors can be added to the expansion slot, and additional cardboard features can be added to the bot's frame. Users are also encouraged to put the A in STEAM learning and customize the outside of the bot with individual designs, although the page cautions that there is a weight limit for proper operation of the vehicle.
The market for 'small robotic vehicle used to teach coding, robotics and engage students in STEAM learning' is crowded but the KicoCarton looks like a fully realized system with prototypes, assembly instructions and programs already available. The fact that this new project resembles their previous work while bringing an RC vehicle feel helps their case a lot too. This campaign where the units are offered at a deep discount from the eventual retail price ends on September 10 and if successful units are currently scheduled to ship in November 2018.