New Screenless Interface for Popular Educational Robots Brings Coding and Robotics to Pre-K Classrooms

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Dream Labs, maker of Puzzlets hands-on early childhood games, today announced a new tactile programming interface developed using Wonder Workshop's API that will allow young learners to program educational robots to move, light up, or make sounds by using physical manipulatives; providing students as young as four with the opportunity to explore coding and robotics in early childhood classrooms.

Puzzlets, which are used in more than 1,000 school districts, are physical tiles that young children can manipulate with their hands. By connecting physical tiles wirelessly to Dash, the educational robot, young learners are able to experiment with basic robotics programing, without the use of a screen. Colorful icons are used to translate coding concepts, making computer science accessible, even for pre-readers. For example, children can program Dash to look left and right before crossing the street, perform a square dance, or act out characters in a story.

"Young learners are captivated by engaging, hands-on activities. By connecting the Puzzlets experience with Dash, we can give young learners access to a tactile interface to robotics and coding," said Jacob Hanchar, CEO of Digital Dream Labs. "We know that robotics bring the principles of computer science to life in ways that capture the imagination of young learners, so we are incredibly excited to launch our new product to interface with Wonder Workshop's API."

Wonder Workshop's Dash is an award-winning programmable robot that draws upon gender neutral-design to bring coding to life for students with age-appropriate interfaces and curriculum. Dash, used in more than 15,000 elementary schools in the US, also forms the basis for the fast-growing Wonder League Robotics Competition.

"Our youngest learners can begin to see themselves as the creators and inventors of tomorrow, and we will get to see how creative, imaginative four-year olds brilliantly chart new experiences for Dash," said Vikas Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Wonder Workshop. "The mindset for coding is so intuitive that children can understand computational thinking before they can learn to read. It's on all of us to give children the tools and inspiration to explore and invent."

Puzzlets for Dash is available to order today for $89.99 at makewonder.com. Puzzlets tiles do not require a mobile device and are paired with a set of customized lesson plans available here. A box of Puzzlets comes with 22 Puzzlets for Dash, a Bluetooth Play Tray, a storage pouch, one USB cable, and a Quick Start Guide.

About Puzzlets
Originally developed as an interactive museum installation for the Children's Museums of Pittsburgh & Houston, Puzzlets has become one of the most unique and engaging educational gaming platforms to emerge for contemporary classrooms and maker-spaces. The platform's combination of tactile manipulatives with a digital interface effectively puts Puzzlets in a league of its own.

About Digital Dream Labs
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Digital Dream Labs was co-founded by Matt Stewart, Peter Kinney, and Justin Sabo, graduates of Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology program. Founded on collaborative graduate work at the university and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, the company is committed to making learning more accessible through fun, tactile technology. In spring 2013, Digital Dream Labs was selected as one of seven startups by AlphaLab, a nationally-ranked startup accelerator program based in Pittsburgh, PA to help bring Puzzlets to market. Over the course of the next year, Digital Dream Labs continued to modify Puzzlets and incorporate AlphaLab's business mentorship; by February 2015 they were able to debut the final product at the 2015 North American International Toy Fair in New York City. For more information on Digital Dream Labs and Puzzlets, visit www.DigitalDreamLabs.com.

About Wonder Workshop
Wonder Workshop was founded in 2012 by inventors, designers, programmers, and parents on a mission to transform coding into a creative tool for children, starting at age five. Within its first month, Wonder Workshop delivered robots to 37 countries. Today, Wonder Workshop's award winning, hands-on learning tools are used by K-5 students in more than 15,000 classrooms worldwide. Wonder Workshop's standards-aligned, teacher developed curriculum is designed to cultivate interests in STEM fields at formative ages for all students. For more information, visit http://www.makewonder.com.

SOURCE Digital Dream Labs