Lego's WeDo 2.0 gives kids a crash-course in robotics

You may not have been able to play with Lego in school, but your kids can. Lego Education has revealed the WeDo 2.0 robotics kit aimed at elementary school students, over eight years after launching the original WeDo. As before, it's designed to teach kids the basics of robotics, thanks to the Mindstorm-like sets. The new kit also replaces the old USB cables with a Bluetooth LE hub that connects to the motors and tilt sensors. The whole thing is driven by a tablet-based drag-and-drop interface that helps kids code basic robotics apps.

On top of robotics, the next-gen WeDo Kit also teaches kids STEM basics via various science projects. According to Techcrunch, Lego has has developed a curriculum with over 40 hours of science lessons normally taught in fourth grade. For instance, kids get lessons about recycling by designing a truck, and even learn about biology and pollination, though we're not sure how they pull that off with Lego bricks. Like the consumer products, the educational kits are not cheap, running around $2,000 per classroom. The STEM lessons are extra, but Lego Education will apparently offer a site-wide license.

The WeDo 2.0 kits are now available in the US and UK for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, PCs and Macs. Chromebook support will come in the second half of 2016.