Google's new initiative Project Bloks teaches kids how to code by making it fun and interactive instead of just learning commands and searching for syntax errors. Blocks is a system of colorful toy blocks that children connect to control other toys such as robots. The Alphabet subsidiary hopes to teach the logic needed to write code so kids can later use the skills in real-world situations.
Google plans to create Bloks as a platform and allow partners to build children's toys on top of it. Its new Android platform would make it easier for toymakers to manufacture coding products and a larger range of toys.
Project Bloks includes three main components. The brains of the unit includes a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero processor that provides the system's power and connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, according to Engadget.
Meanwhile, the system's "Pucks" are the quintessence of Project Bloks. They include important buttons, dials, and switches that can be programmed with instructions such as "turn on/off" and "go up."
In addition, the Puks do not have active electronic parts so they are cheap to make. They could be made of materials such as smart paper or high-quality plastics.
Jayme Goldstein is the leader of Project Bloks. He explained that until now building coding toys has required knowledge of fields such as electrical engineering.
Google shares that several toys could be built with Bloks such as toy robots and programmable speakers.
Bloks is still a work in progress and there is no launch date yet. It is collaboration between research groups at Google, researchers at Stanford University (United States) and Chiang Mai University (Thailand), and design firm Ideo, according to The Verge.
Google's Bloks is not the first project that involves using toys to teach kids how to code. They include a $50 toy caterpillar from toymaker Fisher-Price whose body teaches the basics of coding such as programming and sequencing.
Meanwhile, Apple recently introduced a new iPad app named Swift Playgrounds. It teaches kids how to code using the Silicon Valley company's programming language.
However, Google hopes Bloks will be a game-changer that makes coding toys easier to build and cheaper. That could benefit toymakers and parents.