war games online: Recon 6.0 Programmable Rover hopes to make coding appeal to the younger set (hands-on)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Recon 6.0 Programmable Rover hopes to make coding appeal to the younger set (hands-on)

SmartLab's Recon 6.0 Programmable Rover is an interesting little toy-gadget we found while perusing the floor at the International Toy Fair. Designed as a teaching tool for basic programming skills, this little bot comes with an owner's manual that'll teach your little tyke basic programming concepts in an easy-to-use package. All coding is done right on the front panel itself using easy-to-understand arrows and symbols, and you can make it do things like deliver sodas, guard a bedroom, or recite pre-recorded messages to unknowing family members or pets. We wish it had a video camera up top rather than just a microphone and speaker, but maybe letting Junior start out with just the basics isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's available now for around $60, so if you've had enough dominos maybe give this a once-over.

Gallery: SmartLab ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover