STEAM
Sketch Kit Brings Visual Arts to Robotics
Wonder Workshop has launched Sketch Kit, a new visual arts system for its Dash and Cue robots designed to link programming with drawing.
The kit attaches to Dash and Cue robots and allows them, with the help of some creative coding by students, to draw pictures on a horizontal surface using any of six included dry-erase markers. The markers can be raised and lowered through programming to create complesx designs. An optional whiteboard surface is also available, pictured in the video below.
According to Wonder Workshop, the concept was inspired by students who had been experimenting with art and robotics on their own: "Art is a great visual outlet for programming robots, inspiring children to challenge themselves. Since the Dash robot started shipping in 2014, children have been attaching markers to their robots to create drawings with their code. When Wonder Workshop studied these attempts, they discovered the need for an add-on that provided the ability to create accurate representations of children's imagination, and give them more control of the markers. Designers and engineers at Wonder Workshop created Sketch Kit to solve this problem, knowing that Dash and Cue robots are capable of drawing with accuracy, and manipulating the markers with dexterity."
The programming update for Sketch Kit is freely available for Blockly and the apps for Dash and Cue.
Sketch Kit runs $39.99; the optional whiteboard mat costs $99.99. A bundle of the two can be purchased as a bundle for $129.99. Marker refill sets run $14.99. The Dash robot itself runs $149.99, and Cue comes in at $199.99. Further information can be found at
makewonder.com.