Business & Government

Young coders dive into learning with UVA-built bots

It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and a class of Charlottesville fourth graders returns from recess, still buzzing with energy. Their teacher immediately channels that energy, introducing educational robots – tools the students use in pairs to simulate “exploring” the ocean floor.

As students begin coding their robots, engagement soars. What begins as a lesson on marine science quickly transforms into a hands-on investigation – combining science, storytelling and computational thinking.

That’s the mission of Roversa Robotics, a startup company committed to making computer science and robotics accessible to K–12 students worldwide, especially in underserved communities.

Developed in collaboration between the University of Virginia and Universidad del Norte in Colombia, Roversa focuses on affordability, adaptability and multilingual support.

Kim Wilkens, left, and Eric Bredder, right, in the Design Lab

Kim Wilkens, left, and Eric Bredder, who earned his doctorate from the UVA School of Education and Human Development, are the co-founders of Roversa Robotics. (Contributed photo)

“When kids program things on their computers, they don’t even know where it goes – they don’t understand the ecosystem yet,” Roversa co-founder Eric Bredder said. “But robots can help demystify this, because when you program a robot, and you see it move and you see it do the thing you told it to do, there’s a much higher level of connection students make with a programming environment. It creates a better learning environment, and that’s why teachers love it.”

Roversa has become one of Central Virginia’s hottest startups with the help of the Enterprise Studio, the newly formed branch of the UVA Licensing & Ventures Group led by entrepreneur and tech executive Lisa Bowers and entrepreneur-in-residence Jim Zuffoletti.

“The Enterprise Studio has taken our company to the next level,” Roversa co-founder Kim Wilkens said. “They’ve provided a strong network of entrepreneurs, faculty and students in and around UVA and have helped us refine our ideas and plans to ensure our robot is ready to take to market.

“Working with members of the LVG licensing team, going through LVG’s I-Corps program and receiving a translational investment from the Seed Fund has also been invaluable.”

Roversa robots are being piloted in both the U.S. and Latin America.

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In Colombia, more than 50 devices have been assembled for testing and feedback. The project has received funding from the National Science Foundation and other grants to refine its design and expand its impact.

In Virginia, more than 1,700 students across urban and rural schools are engaging with Roversa in hands-on activities, integrating computer science and other skills. Researchers want to understand how these tools can enhance student interest in STEM and information technology careers, especially among students with disabilities.

“We’ve had teachers be like, ‘Oh I’m not the tech type,’ and we’re trying to reverse a lot of that thinking,” said Bredder, who earned his doctorate from the UVA School of Education and Human Development in 2024. “Two months later, they’ll say, ‘I had a whole room of kindergarteners doing robots for 45 minutes straight. I’ve had no activity in my entire teaching career where I’ve had kids engaged for that long.’ The teachers become totally invested, and the access is opened for young students.”

Roversa Robotics’ educational robot is a compact, stand-alone device equipped with two motors and seven buttons for movement control, plus menus for language and calibration. Its custom-printed circuit board is designed for easy assembly using laser-cut components and minimal hardware.

Close up of a child playing with a robot car

A student plays with a Roversa robot at an after-school program at the Barranquilla Zoo in Colombia. Roversa co-founder Eric Bredder says hands-on coding strengthens understanding for students, letting them see their commands come to life through robot movement. (Contributed photo)

All of the components – except the circuit boards – are manufactured in Charlottesville, with UVA students contributing to the engineering, educational and marketing efforts.

Designed to support students with varying abilities and backgrounds, the robot offers a multilingual interface, allowing students to learn in their native language. The platform also allows progression from simple sequencing tasks to more advanced programming concepts. Because of the affordability of Roversa, students are often able to work in small groups or even one-on-one with a robot – deepening engagement and hands-on learning.

“Imagine if we all had this experience at a young age instead of having to wait until high school when they said we could join the AP computer science class,” Bredder said. “Imagine if there were no barriers – you could try anything.”

Wilkens is no stranger to breaking barriers. In 2012, she started Tech-Girls – a Charlottesville-based organization whose mission is to provide training and resources needed to spark girls’ interest in STEM. She smiled when she heard about the success of the oceanography lesson with the fourth graders.

“The teacher doesn’t have to get in the weeds with coding and computer science because the kids go through challenges and figure it out for themselves,” Wilkens said. “You definitely have some kids in the room who become the experts.”

“The kids want to figure out how to get their program to work,” Bredder added. “That’s the motivation.”