Bristol startup Reach Robotics has piloted a scheme to teach programming to kids in schools using its gaming robots.

Reach Edu is being tested out at Winterbourne secondary (above), St Katherine’s secondary, Frampton Cotterell primary and Nova primary schools in the region. The company aims to take the scheme national, providing all the teaching materials to teach programming in class and making tech subjects fun.

Reach supports a range of ways to programme its robots through an app that unlocks MekaMon for full control through line-based programming all the way to Scratch-based block coding. This capability was a key addition to the new generation of robot.

Younger users can learn simple programming concepts by drawing pathways for MekaMon to follow and adding animations and head colour changes along the way, meanwhile more experienced MekaPilots can use Scratch-based block coding to fully explore the potential of their robot.

Guided learning Missions offer challenging instruction in coding concepts, taking users through everything from loops to variables in engaging, game-like challenges. One Mission takes users on the challenge of preparing their MekaMon for a Mars expedition by learning all about key coding processes and experimenting with their learning in MekaCode.

“There’s a huge amount of creative potential with MekaMon, due to the scope of its expressive movement and personality. Reach EDU is about delivering the tools to take advantage of this, by creating a versatile, accessible, and fun platform for effective STEAM education and ongoing innovation,” said Silas Adekunle, CEO and co-founder of Reach.

“The World Economic Forum recently listed problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity as the top three skills that children need for success. We firmly believe that we can deliver on all of these fronts,” he said.

“Taking into account that an estimated 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 are as yet undefined -we think it is essential that the next generation are fully literate in the STEAM skills that will equip them for a post-4th industrial revolution economy.”

Download the free app now on iOS and Android.

Find out more at edu.reachrobotics.com

Bristol skills