Maunzi robot wants to get children coding

There have been a few toy robots that aim to encourage children to code in recent years. Maunzi is the latest, and like many of those other bots, this project is raising money on crowdfunding website Kickstarter to get off the ground.

Pitched as a “multipurpose easy to assemble robot for all ages”, Maunzi is aimed at children aged six and up, and comes as a kit for children to assemble. It’s also compatible with Lego, so they can add their own bricks and bits in to customise their robot.

Once built, the bot will be controlled from a smartphone app, which doubles as the assembly manual, and also as an augmented-reality game to play with the robot. Meanwhile, children will be able to use an application called Maunzi Lab Software to learn coding skills, or use familiar tools like Scratch too.

If all goes well, Maunzi will start shipping to its Kickstarter backers in February 2018, with the “super early bird” kit costing €77. More expensive pledges will get you more parts, with an array of modular cubes adding different features to the bot.

It looks like it has potential, although with a target of €25,000 and only €3,200 raised so far with 21 days to go, there’s a bit of work to do if this project is going to reach its target. Find out more on Kickstarter.