Pre-schoolers need to touch, feel and imagine. Plugiz is first of all a playful toy. It is highly modular (inspired by the Mr. Potato-Head) to enable learning by doing. Each piece is either an input or output device: the eyes are flash lights, the ears are sound detectors (microphone), the nose is a distance detector, and so on. The most unique part of the product is the physical programming blocks. Chain them together to change the toy's behavior, by defining conditions and outcomes.

There is no argument about the importance of computational thinking as a skill in the 21st century. Majority of products exist today address 8 year-old and above, and are based on digital solutions. Those that aim for infants or pre-schoolers make significant abstractness of the coding principles. Plugiz addresses that audience while keeping the less abstract method.

We have talked with toy manufacturers and publishers, as well as smart toy companies. We are actively looking for investments or collaboration in order to finish a full working prototype in order to do extensive user testing. 

Sapir Shragai: Founder. Graduate of Bezalel Academy of Design, Jerusalem Israel. 

Dana Kreisberg: Graphics. Graduate of Bezalel Academy of Design, Jerusalem Israel.

Shachar Oz: Learning Experiences Designer and Product Manager.

Ido Bruno and Shachar Atzmon: prototype developers.