Hardware
Movable AI for kids who move.
Young kids learn by moving, touching, and building, not by sitting still in front of a screen. Archimedes is building learning robotics that bring a patient AI tutor off the glowing rectangle and into the room, made to last and made not to brick.
Kids don't learn sitting still
Watch a six-year-old learn. They count on their fingers. They pace out the hallway to see how long it is. They stack blocks until the tower falls, then work out why. Young children think with their hands and their bodies. That's not a distraction from learning. For a lot of kids, it is the learning. So why do we keep asking them to learn by sitting still and staring at a screen?
Why laptops, tablets, and screens don't work for young kids
Laptops are built for grown-ups at desks
A keyboard, a trackpad, small text, and a chair. They assume you can type, read fast, and sit still for an hour. Most young kids can't do any of that comfortably yet, and they shouldn't have to before they can learn.
Tablets are built for watching and swiping
They fit small hands, but they were designed around apps, notifications, and autoplay. A tablet is always one tap away from a game or a video.
Every screen keeps kids still
Australia's physical activity guidelines for children and young people recommend limiting time spent sitting, especially in front of screens. Those guidelines count recreational screen time, not schoolwork. Learning doesn't have to mean sitting still either.
| Laptop | Tablet | Archimedes hardware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designed for | Adults at desks | Watching, swiping, apps | Kids learning |
| How kids use it | Typing, reading, sitting | Tapping, scrolling | Talking, moving, handling |
| One tap away | The rest of the internet | Games and videos | Learning only |
| If servers go quiet | The laptop still opens | The tablet still opens | Core learning designed to keep running |
What is embodied learning?
Embodied learning is the idea that we understand things better when our bodies are involved: when we move, touch, build, and manipulate, not just look and listen.
Piaget: children build understanding by doing
Jean Piaget argued that children construct their own understanding by acting on the world. In the primary years, he saw children reasoning best about concrete things they can see and handle. A number you can hold makes more sense than a number you're told about.
Montessori: from the hands to the head
Maria Montessori designed classrooms full of physical materials, like beads for counting, so children could learn by handling things before moving on to symbols on paper. Concrete first, abstract later, with the child setting the pace.
We're not claiming Archimedes is a Montessori or Piagetian product. Both ideas point the same way: younger minds need something they can move with, not just look at.
Movable AI for kids who move
Our software tutor already listens, talks back, and knows what your child has mastered. The hardware gives that same patient tutor a presence in the room, so learning can happen on the floor, at the table, or across the backyard. We'll only describe what the device can do once it can do it.
- Learning on the move. Activities that ask kids to get up, go somewhere, find something, or count it out.
- Hands-on problem solving. Building, arranging, and testing, then talking through what happened.
- Talking, not typing. The same warm, spoken tutor, so kids who can't read fluently yet aren't locked out.
Connected to the tutor and your child's progress
Every conversation, lesson, and skill map we build today is the foundation of the hardware. Hands-on learning on the device is designed to feed the same skill-by-skill picture parents see, so practice on the floor and practice at the table add up. The curriculum underneath is the same Western Australian Curriculum.
- Conversations
- Lessons
- Skill map
- Device
Local-first by design
Lots of smart devices do everything in the cloud. If the internet drops, or the company goes away, the device goes quiet. We're designing Archimedes hardware the other way round: as much as possible happens on the device itself. The less that leaves your home, the less there is to worry about. We'll list which jobs stay on the device, and which need the network, before launch.
Our longevity pledge
Before we sell a single device, here's our promise.
- 1. Offline mode. The core learning features will keep working without an internet connection.
- 2. Your data, exportable. You'll be able to download your child's learning data, any time.
- 3. A plan if we stop. If Archimedes ever winds up the service, the device is still meant to keep doing its core job. We'll publish the mechanism before the first sale.
- 4. No subscription just to keep the lights on. Core learning is not something we want to switch off because a payment failed. The exact rule will be on the pricing page before anyone pays.
— Thomas, founder, Archimedes
Design principles
Made to move
Built to be carried, set down on the floor, and used wherever kids are.
Durable
Made to survive real kids. The tests will be published with the spec.
Focused
One job: learning. No app store, no autoplay.
Worthy of attention
No dark patterns, no noisy rewards.
Safety, built into the hardware
A tutor, not a companion
Like the software, the device sticks to learning. No open-ended best-friend chat.
Parent controls
What a parent can switch off, including data, will be listed before pre-orders.
Safe to move around
Physical safety, including small parts and batteries, will meet the Australian standards that apply, and we'll name those standards with the spec.
Specs, price, and pre-orders
The spec sheet, the age range, and the price in Australian dollars with GST included will be published here before we take a pre-order. Until then, the waitlist is the way to hear first. See how we price the tutor on Pricing.
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FAQ
Why build hardware when kids already have tablets and laptops?
Because those were designed for adults or for entertainment. Laptops expect typing and sitting still. Tablets sit one tap away from games and videos. Young kids learn by moving and handling things, so we are building a device made for that, with one job: learning.
What is embodied learning?
Embodied learning is the idea that children understand better when their bodies are involved: moving, touching, and building, not just watching. It draws on thinkers like Piaget, who argued children build understanding by acting on the world, and Montessori, who used hands-on materials before symbols on paper.
Is Archimedes hardware screen-free?
The device is not built around a screen. The aim is for kids to talk, move, and handle things, rather than sit and tap. We will say whether it has a display, and how that display is used, before anyone can pre-order.
Can I buy Archimedes hardware yet?
Not yet. Join the waitlist and you will hear when it is ready, with the price in Australian dollars. A hardware-only option, with fewer features and a more basic tutor, is coming soon.
What happens to the device if Archimedes shuts down?
It is designed to keep working. The longevity pledge commits to offline core features, exportable data, and a plan for the service if we ever stop, so a device does not become a paperweight.
Does it need the internet?
Core learning is designed to work offline. Some extras will need a connection, such as updates and syncing to the parent view. The final split will be listed here before launch.
Will it work with the Archimedes tutor?
Yes. It is built on the same conversations, lessons, and skill maps as the tutor, so a child's progress is meant to carry across.
Is it for schools or homes?
Both. We are designing it for classrooms, kitchens, and backyards.
What age is it for?
We will confirm the age range with the spec sheet before pre-orders open. It is being designed for children who learn by moving, not for a desk-bound adult.