Self-assembly robots and smart toys are great for introducing and teaching children the basics of coding. It's a hot area at the moment, especially with Nintendo Labo coming soon, but here we have British outfit BinaryBots and their animal-themed programmable robots. Todd and Chris play with the smart pets.

The team at BinaryBots have a range of robotic toys starting with straightforward cardboard-based models through to more complex creations using the Totem construction kits. There are crabs, spiders and tortoises, each will unique actions. The robots can be connected up to a BBC micro:bit computer for coding and programming. Children can code their robot and to see how it responds to light and other stimuli.

The cardboard-based robots are available now with the new Totem-based ones arriving in April. They're priced at GB?40 / $55 for the cardboard models and GB?60 / $80 for the Totem, though you'll need to buy your own micro:bit for the latter.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central.

This episode was originally published on Geek News Central.