Back in September, Anki released a special Collectors Edition of its Cozmo toy robot, alongside a major app update for both the original and new models. One of its Cozmo's many features is the ability to program basic tasks through the mobile app. While a full Python-based SDK is available for those wanting to use real programming languages, the drag-and-drop Code Lab had most of the essentials.

Anki has released an update for the Cozmo app, with major changes to the programming aspect. The Code Lab has now been renamed to 'Sandbox,' and a more complex version called 'Constructor Mode' has been added. Constructor Mode is heavily based on the Scratch visual programming language, so while it doesn't involve writing lines of code manually, it's still a massive upgrade over the old Code Lab.

Some of the improvements over Sandbox include math operators, if statements, variables, function calls, and more. The Code Lab definitely felt limited before, so it's nice to see Anki improve it while keeping the basic version available for younger children. There are also six code examples available in Constructor Mode, including a light show, fire truck alarm, and tiny orchestra.