'Topobo' Construction Kit Remembers Its Motions

Topobo is a construction system toy that can record and play back physical motion. No computer is required to ‘teach’ the construction how to behave. The user just moves it around, then plays back the motion sequence with a button.

Hayes Raffle, Amanda Parkes, Hiroshi Ishii and others at the MIT Media Lab have all contributed to the Topobo robotic system for kids’ design.

A limited number of prototypes are available for sale now for the first time. They’d make a great addition to a classroom. With kits ranging from $200 for the most basic to about $5K for the most complex, schools are the most likely customers.