We're building Pip
I’m building an educational robot named Pip with @Levi-Sheridan.
The idea for Pip emerged from our personal frustrations: while Duolingo revolutionized language learning and Khan Academy transformed math education, we never had an equivalent platform for hands-on robotics exploration.
There are two key barriers in robotics education:
Onboarding friction: Even basic projects, like getting an Arduino to blink an LED, can require hours of setup and troubleshooting for newcomers.
Static curriculum: Current robotics programs use rigid, age-bracketed learning tracks (e.g. 7-10 years, 11-14 years). Engaged learners quickly outgrow the limited available content.
These issues existed when we were growing up, and they persist today.
Pip is designed to break down these barriers:
With no assembly needed, Pip is ready to go straight out of the box: connect to Wi-Fi in under a minute and start learning.
Integrated with Pip, our web-based curriculum grows with learners: a Duolingo for robotics.
Users first enter the Lab: a self-guided workspace featuring readings, videos, and coding exercises. As they progress, Pip runs their scripts in real-time for an interactive learning experience. Those who want to explore beyond the Lab’s structured lessons can use the Sandbox, where they’re granted complete creative control to code up whatever they imagine.
Pip contains many powerful industry-standard components (time-of-flight distance sensors, a 9-axis IMU [accelerometer, gyroscope, compass], and color and infrared sensors). We’re doing the heavy lifting of writing the firmware to interface with these sensors, making it easy for our learners to utilize everything via simple drag-and-drop coding blocks.
We’re designing Pip to be the tool we wished we had growing up - a platform that welcomes anyone with the curiosity and desire to learn and build.
We'd love to hear about your experiences with robotics kits/platforms, positive or negative.
Pip isn't available yet, but you can sign up for updates at the bottom of our website.
Thank you