I built an open-source educational robot for rural kids in Peru — here's how TiniBot works

#iot #learning #opensource #showdev

I'm a systems engineer from Coracora, Ayacucho — one of the most
remote provinces in Peru. For years I watched kids struggle with
Arduino syntax before they understood what a variable was.

So I built something different: TiniBot.

What is TiniBot?

TiniBot is a low-cost educational robot built around the ESP32-WROOM-32,
designed to teach computational thinking to kids aged 6–14 without
requiring screens, internet, or expensive kits.

Cost per unit: ~$20–30 USD.
Commercial alternatives: $150–$300 USD.

The software stack

TiniBot runs on TiniScript — a minimal command language I designed
specifically for kids:

adelante
adelante
girar_der
adelante
pausa

That's it. No brackets, no semicolons, no English keywords for
Spanish-speaking kids.

The physical programming board (in development)

The most exciting part: a tangible programming board where kids
place physical cards into slots to build their program — no tablet,
no phone, no screen.

Each card has a single SMD resistor (0603). The board reads
resistance values via a CD74HC4067 multiplexer (16 slots, 1 ADC pin),
builds the TiniScript string, and sends it via Bluetooth to TiniBot.

Kid places cards → presses GO → 
ESP32 reads mux → builds TiniScript → 
BT serial → TiniBot executes

Cards are passive (no battery, no chip) — just cardboard + 2 copper
contacts + 1 resistor. Fabrication cost: ~$0.10 per card.

The platform: MindBlock

TiniBot is part of MindBlock — a free STEM
education platform with 16 games, a visual blocks editor, and coding
challenges for kids across Peru.

Why this matters

Rural Peru has 0 access to tools like LEGO Mindstorms or Cubetto.
MindBlock + TiniBot is our answer: open hardware, offline-first,
designed from the ground up for low-connectivity environments.