Kids Are the Future and Xiaomi Is Here to Help Motivate Them

Technology is greatly influencing the way children learn and play.

Over the decades, smart toys have grown from a niche industry to a profitable business. According to UK-based analyst firm Juniper Research, annual smart toy sales across the globe are expected to grow to $11.3 billion by 2020. Today, toy stores not only have an array of classic board games and stuffed animals but also internet-connected devices, smart racing cars and drones, smart building blocks, and even robots that teach kids how to code.

We saw an opportunity to combine education and play with our Mi Robot Builder, a building and coding robotic toy, which allows kids to develop their own codes and build different models using creative thinking. Our Mi Robot Builder, recently made available on Amazon, is one of our newest additions to the smart toy market.

The Mi Robot Builder is manufactured by one of our Mi Ecosystem companies, Aiqi, which focuses on smart hardware and robotic products. The lead designer at Aiqi graduated from California College of the Arts and he has amassed a design team that comes with decades of experience in the traditional building block toy industry.

For kids who love robotics, this toy is indeed a treat. It comes with 978 bricks made from a mechanical transmission structure to ensure effective movement and action. It can be remotely controlled by the Mi Robot Builder app via Bluetooth. By simply dragging and dropping complex command codes to the robot from the connected smartphone, kids can command the robot in three different control settings – joystick, gyroscope and route control – and can also create their own set of instructions for the robot to follow.

The Mi Robot Builder can be compiled into different models including a robot, a dinosaur, and an airplane. Each model can reach its self-balance, thanks to an intelligent CPU processor that is developed through a series of balanced algorithms at the heart of the product, allowing the robot to always stay upright and perform perfectly coordinated actions, whether at a standstill or on the move. The robot also comes with four USB type-C ports, which provide power to the robot and support scalable components up to 3 kg in weight.

The high-power motor, in addition to a built-in photoelectric encoder, allows the robot to have accurate speed and direction. As a result, if motor stalling occurs, a protection mode is automatically triggered to prevent the motor from overstraining.

Mi Robot Builder inspires kids to be creative thinkers and builders. It is our hope that this early introduction to technology and problem-solving will allow kids to find a passion for science and technology at an early age, allowing them to realize that the power to create is within them.