ISTE 2017 Coverage

Pai Technology Unveils Coding Robot at ISTE

• By Richard Chang
• 07/03/17

Pai Technology, a Chinese ed tech company with a Santa Monica, CA office, introduced at the ISTE 2017 conference its newest product, Augie, a robot that teaches kids to code and combines that with augmented reality. Augie “gives students the opportunity to learn code through constructive, hands-on classroom play,” according to a news release.

Designed for pre-K through sixth grade students, Augie couples research from experts in child development with the latest in technology. Students playing with Augie can ascertain how to code by determining a range of the robot’s movements, and can use the machine’s video function to record their own sounds and movies. Actual code is used, including Scratch on Blockly.

Video animation accompanies each level of Augie. “Students first learn about the programming task and then follow its guidance to write a programming sequence,” the release said. “By executing the right commands, students succeed and move on to the next level.” Games include shooting virtual cartoon creatures that appear in augmented reality around the robot, and moving Augie in different directions with a tablet to aim at the targets.

“With Augie, we hope to make it easier for schools to integrate STEAM into their curriculums, so that students can gain tech skills early on and broaden their sense of wonder,” said Amy Braun, director of U.S. marketing for Pai Technology, in a statement.

Augie is expected to be available for purchase at the end of September, Braun said in an interview. The expected cost is $199 per unit, which includes software.

Pai Technology also anticipates releasing its Circuit Conductor product in the fall. Circuit Conductor allows elementary school children to build real electrical circuits with special conductors and safe, insulated wires. This product is expected to cost $69.99 per unit, Braun said.

Pai Technology participated in the International Society for Technology in Education conference in San Antonio, TX, at booth 2058. For more information about Pai Technology and its products, visit the company’s website.