SAN DIEGO — In case you're still shopping, one of this season's hot holiday toys is a gift that comes with a bright future. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Sorrento Mesa where you don't have to be 16-year old to drive.
Imagine owning your own car at the age of 14 and programming it to do whatever you want. "It's a series of steps in coding," said Neha Bhat. She is an 8th grader on the road to becoming a software engineer.
"My favorite part of Zumi is the self-driving part because it is really cool how I can make Zumi crash into walls where I don't have to say anything or do anything I just have to click run on the program," said Neha.
Zumi is a $180 self-driving car that is helping students learn about artificial intelligence. You can program her to not only read street signs but your face. For example, Zumi sees you smile and she responds with her happy dance.
Zumi is the pride and joy of a local company called Robolink founded by Hansol Hong. He was born in South Korea and attended U.C. San Diego. "I came here when I was a freshman in college," said Hansol who launched Robolink in 2012. Since then, he's shared the future with more than 10,000 San Diego students. "A lot of students like having these tangible robots who don't like robots," said Hansol.
Their mission is to make STEM education accessible, engaging, and fun for all. "We teach programming and artificial intelligence through our robots, work with teachers all over the world, and ship kits to (almost) all seven continents," said Hansol.
Zumi itself is a little slow but the fastest-growing jobs of the future will involve science and technology. A 13-year-old student named Anwika showed me how hand gestures like left, right, and straight ahead told Zumi where to go. It was as if she was driving a baby Tesla with her finger. "Yes, with my finger," said Anwika.
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Students can also write code for Robolink's CoDrone. It's a drone you can fly and land in the palm of your hand. Buckle up and smile San Diego, the intelligence may be artificial but the road to high paying jobs is as real as it gets.
Robolink is educating students in six countries. Coding and artificial intelligence classes start at $120. For more information click here.