Originally posted November 2019

As a robotics company, what we know to be true is that in five to ten years, AI will be everywhere. It already is! Why do you think Netflix knows that you like “Action Comedies for ages 11 to 12”? Companies are already hiring people that can work with artificial intelligence, especially programmers and engineers.

One of the fields that will progress the most with the help of AI is self-driving cars. These tests are popping up in some US cities, and companies from Tesla to Volkswagen are planning to introduce their own autonomous cars within the next six years. Lyft is already sponsoring scholarships for qualified candidates to go through Udacity’s self-driving car nanodegree program, and they are one of the rideshare companies projecting driverless fleets by 2030.

Keeping all of this in mind, we designed Zumi, our new self-driving car kit, to teach students about artificial intelligence in a way that is easy to understand, engaging, and fun. Zumi will help users gain basic literacy in AI and self-driving cars, which will then get their foot in the door to companies that are essentially changing the world. We want kids to be at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and leading technological advancement. It sounds like a long shot, but this is what people were saying about coding in 2009.

We love a good competition, and we think Zumi is up for the challenge! Our first Zumi competition is based off of Uber and Lyft drivers picking up their passengers. Relevant scenarios like this one will help students connect with real-world problems and keep them engaged, even when the challenge that they face is difficult.

Information about the competition is below. Keep an eye out for the results on our next blog post, and we hope to see you there!