Apple’s programming app is getting a lot more physical. Soon it will be possible for children to program robots, drones and more through Swift Playgrounds.
Swift Playgrounds robots and drones
Apple’s Swift Playgrounds iPad app is already interesting because it teaches kids how to code step by step. Soon the app will also be worthwhile for creatives. The code that children write goes into the physical world. It will be possible for robots, drones and musical instruments and programming.
Programming should be a standard subject at school, because it prepares children better for the future than many other subjects. But before that, an app like Swift Playgrounds offers a solution. With the application, children learn how the Apple programming language works by programming simple games. Apple regularly adds new challenges for children to take on. This keeps the app interesting.
The addition of a series of bluetooth robots suddenly makes programming a lot more tangible. “Now they can instantly see the code they write and directly control their favorite robots, drones and musical instruments,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.
Among other things, Apple works together with Lego for this. This company has a robot, the Mindstorms Education EV3. This is first put together by children and only then programmed. Several Parrot drones are also programmable. The Sphero SPRK +, Jimu Robot MeeBot Kit, Dash and Skoog also work with Swift Playgrounds.
The new version of Swift Playgrounds will be available from Monday. The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store. The app works with all iPad Air and iPad Pro models and the iPad mini 2. You must be running iOS 10 or later. You can now download the app via the link below, so that the update will arrive automatically.