Physical Programming Language Using Coding Bricks (DrBartha Toys)

[drbartha]

Hi everyone,

I am excited to share DrBartha Toys, a software-enabled coding brick system that introduces kids to programming through hands-on play.
Instead of writing code on a screen, kids stack magnetic coding bricks like LEGO to form a program, which then runs on our CodePad to control games and interactive tasks.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/denesb/drbartha-toys-software-enabled-coding-bricks?ref=7v1zhf



How It Works

Physical coding blocks represent programming concepts like loops, conditionals, variables, and functions.
Kids build logic structures by stacking the bricks into towers.
The CodePad scans and executes their program, running interactive challenges and games.

Would Engineers Want a Pro Version?

While working on this for kids, I started wondering if a "Pro" version could be useful for engineers and programmers:

• Solve mathematical problems, visualize algorithms, or interact with logic gates.
• Graph algorithms, Neural Networks.
• Controlling robots.
• Tangible programming could help in education or debugging logic visually.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Would you find a physical programming kit useful for engineering, problem-solving, or teaching?

Looking forward to your feedback!  ❤️

Dénes

[PlainName]

That's an interesting take! I am tempted to get one just because

[drbartha]

Super happy to hear!

[tggzzz]

I started wondering if a "Pro" version could be useful for engineers and programmers:

• Solve mathematical problems, visualize algorithms, or interact with logic gates.
• Graph algorithms, Neural Networks.
• Controlling robots.
• Tangible programming could help in education or debugging logic visually.

It is always worth asking questions like that

A standard question with new concepts is "could I achieve the same results with other tools, particularly those already available to me?".

For professionals (as opposed to children) , I think the answer will be "yes, and cheaper too".

[drbartha]

You are absolutely right: it is always worth asking whether existing tools can achieve the same results, especially for professionals. From what I have found, while tools like LabVIEW, Tinkerforge, Phidgets can handle parts of the problem (e.g. logic visualization, hardware interaction, robotics control) none provide a fully tangible programming experience that combines mathematical problem-solving, algorithm visualization, and hardware control in a physical, hands-on way. A dedicated physical programming kit for professionals would be something new and could offer a different way to interact with computation.