In case you missed it, robots took over TechCrunch on Thursday, July 21. We played host to the robotic industry’s leading startups, researchers and academics at TC Sessions: Robotics. The event
Sphero just announced that it has spun off another company. Once again, the new startup has a decidedly different focus from its parent company’s core of education-focused products. While still a ro
Sphero and littleBits have long been kindred spirits in the world of entertaining STEM toys, and soon they’ll be one and the same. Sphero this morning announced plans to buy the New York-based elect
With the demise of some robot makers, it’s fair to wonder if there will be a time when robots have a real place in our lives. But some robots are finding a home in a counterintuitive place: schools.
LittleBits, Disney and UC Davis announced this morning that they’ve joined forces for the launch of Snap the Gap. The non-profit program is designed to give girls a jumpstart into the ever-important
New York City open-source maker startup LittleBits began to lay off staff last month, TechCrunch has learned. The loss of jobs comes as the company looks to shift more focus toward the K-12 market. Ed
Welcome to TechCrunch’s 2018 Holiday Gift Guide! Need more gift ideas? Check out our Gift Guide Hub. The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack &
LittleBits has been keeping busy. The New York based educational hardware startup recently announced a new Avengers-themed kit and its first acquisition. This morning, it’s back with three new kits,
Manhattan-based startup LittleBits has worked hard to shake the “tech toy” label. While the company’s done a good job getting its kid-friendly engineering kits into the hands of schools, a new p
I’ve been watching STEAM and/or STEAM toys with great interest and great skepticism. While many parents and teachers report great success with programming toys like Cleverbot and whatever this t
Like many of the most compelling startups, littleBits began life as a side-hustle — no expectations, no early push for venture capital. Just a bit of tinkering to pass the time. Ayah Bdeir was a rec
Tenka Labs co-founder John Schuster is no stranger to walking friends through building gadgets using Arduino, an open-source hardware controller — except they might be great software engineers, but
Ever wanted to build an R2-D2 to call your own? You could drop a few million dollars to get all the screen-used parts/props... Or you could spend a few weeks in the shop bangin' on scrap metal to buil
I’m not a fan of educational toys. They’re usually either too educational or too toy-like and, in the end, kids get little education and little fun. The Code Kit from LittleBits has change
The Walt Disney Co. is kicking off the third session of its corporate accelerator this week, and revealed 9 new companies admitted to the program. A full list follows at the end of this post. The comp
We are big fans of littleBits here at TechCrunch. The company, which raised $44.2 million last year, offers a number of different sets that teach kids (and grown-ups) about programming and electronics
Are you buying a gift for a budding coder or hardware hacker? Kids today are truly spoilt on this front, with a very wide range of specialized kit that offers to teach tech smarts in a fun and engagin
LittleBits are fantastic, but I’ve never been able to recommend them for kids. Most of the company’s kits are just not intuitive for novices, nor do they contain everything needed to make
LittleBits, a maker of electronic components that both children and designers can snap together to create everything from toy robots to lightweight industrial products, has raised $44.2 million in Ser
After a brief – but energetic – flirtation with hardware startups, Radio Shack went bankrupt, leaving many creditors in the cold. The hardest hit? Those same hardware startups. According t
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