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Google’s Open Roberta project is teaching Germany’s youth how to program robots

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Google recently launched a new program called “Open Roberta,” a cloud-based platform that helps teachers and students in Germany learn to program small robots. In terms of hardware, the search company’s new project uses LEGO MINDSTORMS kits that feature unique hardware and software to develop simple programmable robots.

Google has been teaming up with IT solutions firm Fraunhofer IAIS since the spring of 2013 to simplify the programming process of Open Roberta’s little robots, providing the firm with EUR1 million in funding to jumpstart its development. The search giant elected to keep the software open source and available in the cloud to reduce obstacles for students and teachers, making it easier to modify the platform without having to be delayed by repetitive software updates.

LEGO Education provided 160 kits to be issued in 10 packs to schools in Germany, but Open Roberta’s cloud setup also makes the project available to students at home as well.

In a similar effort back in June, Google partnered with Technology Will Save Us and Code Club to help teach children how to make their own low-cost game consoles, however the tech juggernaut seems to really have a soft spot for robots.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2y7Ay5fjX4]

(via Google Europe Blog)

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