Apple Swift Draws Support from Robotics, Drone Makers

robot2

Alongside other companies that have picked up integration with Apple's Swift coding language, Lego Education has announced its own support for the iPad programming app for beginners. The company said it would be pairing Mindstorms Education EV3 with the Swift Playgrounds learning platform to allow students to program their Lego Mindstorms robots and other creations with motors and sensors.

Mindstorms already comes with its own programming app, which is controlled by dragging and dropping icons into a line to form commands. Swift is a highly visual programming environment that allows the user to tap on assorted options for creation of runnable code.

"Today we're combining efforts with Apple to provide even more students around the world with the opportunity to learn how to code," said Esben Stærk Jørgensen, president of LEGO Education, in a press release.

Other devices that respond to Swift programming include:

  • Sphero SPRK+, a robotic ball that rolls, turns, accelerates and changes colors. Sensors provide feedback when Sphero hits an obstacle.
  • Parrot's Mambo, Airborne and Rolling Spider drones, which can take flight, turn and perform aerial feats;
  • UBTECH's Jimu Robot MeeBot Kit, which can walk, wave and dance based on coding; and
  • Skoog, a tactile cube that lets students create and play music with Swift code.

Swift Playgrounds 1.5 is available as a free download on the Apple App Store. It runs on all iPad Air and iPad Pro models and the iPad mini 2 and later running iOS 10 or later.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Abstract widescreen image with geometric shapes, flowing lines, and digital elements like graphs and data points in soft blue and white gradients.

    5 Trends to Watch in Higher Education for 2025

    In 2025, the trends shaping higher education reflect a continuous transformation of the higher education landscape to meet the changing needs of students and staff, while maintaining sustainable and cost-effective institutional practices.

  • illustration of a football stadium with helmet on the left and laptop with ed tech icons on the right

    The 2025 NFL Draft and Ed Tech Selection: A Strategic Parallel

    In the fast-evolving landscape of collegiate football, the NFL, and higher education, one might not immediately draw connections between the 2025 NFL Draft and the selection of proper educational technology for a college campus. However, upon closer examination, both processes share striking similarities: a rigorous assessment of needs, long-term strategic impact, talent or tool evaluation, financial considerations, and adaptability to a dynamic future.

  • DeepSeek on AWS

    AWS Offers DeepSeek-R1 as Fully Managed Serverless Model, Recommends Guardrails

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the availability of DeepSeek-R1 as a fully managed serverless AI model, enabling developers to build and deploy it without having to manage the underlying infrastructure.

  • Two stylized glowing spheres with swirling particles and binary code are connected by light beams in a futuristic, gradient space

    New Boston-Based Research Center to Advance Quantum Computing with AI

    NVIDIA is establishing a research hub dedicated to advancing quantum computing through artificial intelligence (AI) and accelerated computing technologies.