Logo & LEGO

World’s First Educational Robots
MIT Museum
Gambrill Center
314 Main St
Cambridge, MA 02142

MIT Museum Sign

The MIT Museum has an exhibit about Seymour Papert and the first programable robots for children. Here is some text from the exhibit.

1967, MIT professor Seymour Papert worked with Cythia Solomon, Wally Feurzeig, and researchers at the company BBN to develop Logo, the world’s first programming language designed for children. Using Logo, children could control movements of a turtle-shaped robot, making it go forward, backward, left, and right. When the command “pen down” was given, the turtle would draw lines as it moved. Papert and his colleagues initially tested their ideas using a robotic turtle. Later, a version of Logo with Graphic turtles on the screen became popular around the world. — MIT Museum

MIT Museum, Educational Robotics Exhibit

Here is a picture of the part of the exhibit that explains the connection between Logo and LEGO. The picture is of Seymour Papert in 1973 with a turtle robot very similar to “Irving,” the first wireless turtle robot. Irving was designed and built by BBN engineer Paul Wexelblat.

Here is a picture of some objects in the exhibit.

These are the objects in the picture along with a bit of information about them provided by the exhibit.

Programmable Brick prototype Model 100 (upper), 1994
Programmable Brick, prototype, Model 120 (lower), 1996

Fred Martin began work on the Programmable or Logo Brick in 1986 with Stephen Ocko, Seymour Papert, Mitchel Resnick, Brian Silverman and Allan Toft (on assignment from LEGO). They made a breadboard prototype in 1987. These bricks were developed in the mid-1990s based on circuit boards developed for the famous MIT 6.270 electrical engineering competition. — MIT Museum

Turtle Talk Button Box, Radia Perlman, circa 1974-1976

Taking part in Papert’s early turtle experiments, Radia Perlman built this Button Box to allow children to control the turtle robot. It used a special version of Logo called TORTIS. — MIT Museum

Arthur Turtle Robot, Terrapin Software, circa 1979

Inspired by Grey Walter’s 1940s experiments with robotic turtles, Papert began experimenting in the early 1970s with linking Logo to his own turtle robots. Arthur was the first commercial version of a Papert turtle. It was built from a kit paired with MIT Logo software, making the project even more interactive with users. — MIT Museum

Dancing Crickets Mobile Robots, crica 1995-1996

These are prototypes of small-sized programmable bricks that came to be known as “crickets.” The “dancing cricket” pair had sensors that allowed the two devices to communicate. When one advanced, the other carefully retreated, behaving like a dancing couple. — MIT Museum

Play with an online version of Logo.

LYNX (Logo Computer Systems Inc.)

Here’s another online version of Logo to try.

JS Logo Logo Interpreter (Calormen)

READ

Learning with Computers by Robert W. Lawler

The Gears of My Childhood (Seymour Papert, Foreword to Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas)
Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (Seymour Papert, 1980)

Learning and Computers (Robert W. Lawler)

Radia Perlman – A Pioneer of Young Children Computer Programming (Leonel Morgado, Maria Cruz and Ken Kahn)
Radia Perlman’s “Button Box” controls turtle with Logo subset TORTIS (Retrocomputing Forum)

History of Logo (Cynthia Solomon et al., Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages)

Logo Tree Project Paper (P. Boytchev)
Logo Tree Project Web Site (P. Boytchev)

What Is Logo? (Logo Foundation)
Logo History (Logo Foundation)

AI Memos (1959 – 2004)
MIT Logo Memos (1971-1981)

History of Turtle Robots (Roamer, 2014)
1969 – The Logo Turtle — Seymour Papert Et al. (Cybernetic Zoo)

LEGO® Discovery Center Boston
598 Assembly Row
Somerville, MA 02145

LEGO Discovery Center Boston

LEGO Discovery Center Boston has a minature Boston replica that is built out of LEGO and includes many robotic elements.

Here is a gallery with a few closeups of the amazing display.

State House, LEGO Discovery Center Boston

Waterfront, LEGO Discovery Center Boston

Zakim Bridge, LEGO Discovery Center Boston

There’s even a minature MBTA subway under the exhibit with moving trains.

MBTA Station, LEGO Discovery Center Boston

WATCH

Here’s a video of the MBTA station in the picture above.

Here’s another video of some moving LEGO robotics.

NOTE Entry to LEGO Discovery Center Boston normally requires an adult to be accompanied by a youngster age 17 or under. Howerver, there are also Adult Nights, and they’re a blast!

Make your own LEGO Robotic creations with LEGO® Education SPIKE™ sets.

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential Set (LEGO Education)
LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set (LEGO Education)

EXPLORE

Children's Machines Exhibit

Check out the New Media Museum’s Children’s Machines exhibit as well as the Learning and Computing and EdBotics collections.