Connect with us

Crowdfunding

The Ifs is a crowdfunded educational toy for young children

The Ifs is a new educational toy that teaches kids the basics of computer programming. It consists of a family of four robots in which each member has different superpowers. Children imagine amazing adventures and bring them to life by programming the robots. The Ifs strengthens learning through play in early childhood and can help older children learn more advanced concepts.

Published

on

This picture sho an educational toy.

Four young Spaniards have set out to revolutionize early childhood education through programming and are very close to fulfilling their dream. The entrepreneurs Esther Borao, Luis Martín, Borja Latorre, and Fergus Reig have managed to create the Ifs. The product is four small robots that can receive instructions from children to activate their functions and the team have taken their first step to bring them to market.

To make it happen they need $221,000 (€200,000) and to achieve that amount they have launched, on December 16th, a crowdfunding campaign through the Kickstarter platform. The campaign will run for 40 days. “We need absolute support and our lives are in it, or at least that of the Ifs family,” explained Luis Martin.

If they succeed, before the end of 2020 children will be able to get their hands on the equipment, which includes robots called Emma, Liam, Noah and Holly, the programming blocks, a storybook full of adventures and activities, and letters.

The game is aimed at children under 3 years of age who by using the sensors and actuators available to the robots, can program them “without the need for screens and in a very intuitive way”,according to Martin. This is done using two different blocks: if (condition) and then (action). “Each one has a different image and by combining them the children play with loops, statements, and algorithms while creating their own stories,” the young man explained. They can even create a flashlight to read in bed after lights out or set off an alarm to detect people entering their room.

Great opportunity

“We believe it is a unique opportunity to test all the effort and work done. We have confidence in the public, who have already shown their support for our project on many occasions,” Martín added. “For us to launch our product to collective financing is necessary, since we did not want to depend directly on companies or investors in the production phase. The reality is that we have several stakeholders in the project and we have relegated them to the second phase of expansion. This is an exciting adventure,” said Latorre.

The Ifs is part of Makeroni, a non-profit organization founded in 2013 to create digital projects with social impact and since 2017 has been working on this game to involve children in programming through fun and entertainment. “The most important day of our life as an association has come,” they said.

__

(Featured image by Alex Knight via Pexels)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in el Periodico, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.

Helene Lindbergh is a published author with books about entrepreneurship and investing for dummies. An advocate for financial literacy, she is also a sought-after keynote speaker for female empowerment. Her special focus is on small, independent businesses who eventually achieve financial independence. Helene is currently working on two projects—a bio compilation of women braving the world of banking, finance, crypto, tech, and AI, as well as a paper on gendered contributions in the rapidly growing healthcare market, specifically medicinal cannabis.