Toio teaches children about robotics engineering through play

Japan – Sony has created programmable kinetic cubes that can be fitted with paper shapes to create different characters.

Toio comprises two small white cubes with wheels that can detect the location of each other. The artificially intelligent (AI) devices can be programmed to move in a specific way or controlled independently using two ring-shaped devices.

Sony collaborated with creatives and designers to create a range of accompanying kits that help children to understand the capabilities of the cubes. The Craft Fights kit enables users to host robot battles, while the Craft Life kit enables children to attach paper representations of objects and animals such as a worm, jellyfish and pair of trousers to the cubes, which each move in a different way.

The devices aim to introduce children to the concept of robotic engineering and integrate the physicality and imagination of traditional playtime activities into a child-friendly, AI-powered experience.