Coding is a basic 21st century skill, and should be introduced in the same way we do reading or arithmetic, starting at preschool level. It should be accessible to both girls and boys, of all cultures, all over the world. Cubetto offers the world the first tangible programming language specifically designed for children ages 3 and up. It’s a hands-on, screen-less coding system. An inclusive solution that merges LOGO Turtle inspired programming, with Montessori learning principles. Our coding language is an extreme simplification of LOGO (not LEGO). We digested Seymour Papert’s MIT invention, and made it tangible. We limited the instructions to their purest form, avoiding letters and numbers, removing the barrier of abstraction and language from programming. The tangible and sonic nature of the toy also makes it the first coding toy to work for both sighted and non sighted children alike.

Cubetto is made up of 3 elements:

1. Cubetto: a programmable wooden robot that wants to be told where to go and how to get there.

2. Board: think of the Board as an interface or a command line. There's one main sequence, a subroutine line, and a Go button to send instructions to Cubetto.

3. Blocks: these red, yellow, blue and green shapes, make up the core of our innovation, a real, procedural programming language you can touch. Each block represents an unambiguous instruction that can be combined into a program on the Board, guiding Cubetto from A to B.

Children choose where Cubetto begins and ends his journey. They then fit the blocks in the holes, in a meaningful sequence, to safely get him to his destination, thus creating a program. Pressing the Go button sends the program to Cubetto who then executes it.

It began with a brief: 'Design an artefact that would help children become creators and not consumers of digital technology'. Today, this means programming. Desktop and field research surfaced two of the founding principles which make up our invention. Seymour Papert's LOGO, which provided a framework for understanding core programming concepts, and Maria Montessori's early learning principles, best summarised by the quote: 'The path to a child's mind is through her hands';. The research yielded 3 main insights: 1) Children learn by play 2) are motivated by challenges 3) cannot abstract. Rapid prototyping tools were used to quickly develop and validate concepts, resulting in the design of a tangible programming toy that transformed LOGO Turtle logic into a tangible Montessori toy. Something that hid all technological components using natural materials for a haptic and warm experience. 800 Beta units later, distributed across 46 countries, our research was validated.

We sold 800+ Beta units to 46 countries over the last 2 years, and our final product (launched on March 8) pre-sold 2,200 units in its first two weeks of business. The value of a unit is delivered across a lifetime, because not requiring a screen device for operation gives the product longevity, removing the need for constant updates. Our case studies prove it. We supply the French Ministry of Education, Chicago Public School, The State Of Maryland and the Italian government. Our customer numbers grow by the day. Not relying on language also make it inherently global, and instantly localised, which is evidenced by the variety of countries in which Cubetto is represented. We’ve exhibited Cubetto at the MoMA in NYC, and at MIT, nods of approval to our technology and design, and even won a product innovation award at GESS Dubai as an educational goods supplier.

Cubetto is a playful wooden robot for girls and boys aged 3 and up, powered by the first programming language you can touch. It's a Montessori approved, LOGO Turtle inspired, award-winning coding language that allows children to learn and explore real programming through storytelling and hands-on play. It works without screens or literacy, so any child in the world can use it. Primo Toys' mission is to help children realise their full potential through a healthy understanding of technology that makes them creators, and not just consumers of it.