Have a curious child that wants to know why computers and web pages do what they do? An option in the future could be the Play-i, an interactive robot that will also help children learn about computer programing as they play. Before you argue that a child is too young to fully grasp the concept of complex programming new studies have shown that children as young as preschool age can pick up easily on most programming concepts. Granted your three-year-old is not going to sit down and start typing out code but will learn.

Rather than try teaching children how to program in the traditional sense your kids will learn through music and song. Kids easily through fun songs. They can repeat an enormous amount of information when learned this way. These toys are to be used with a tablet or smart phone. The kids will drag and drop sequences of commands on the tablet or smart phone to complete the “game”.

Right now the toys are expected to be priced $49 for the Yana bot and $149 for the Bo bot. Both bots will also be able to be purchased together for $189. The difference in price is due to the fact that Yana doesn’t have the ability to be controlled remotely.

The idea is novel, and it could possibly give kids a leg up when they get older but there is no evidence that these bots will give your child a head start on the competition.

For those with kids that are computer savvy and interested in learning why computer programs do what they do, these bots can help them get there quicker.

[via The Verge]