Multitask effortlessly on your PC or Mac as you try out Phiro Code, a Education app by Catrobat on BlueStacks.
Phiro Code is a visual, drag and drop coding app made for the Phiro Pro robot, so a robot is required to get the real fun out of it. Think Pocket Code style blocks, only with extra pieces for motors, sensors, and Bluetooth. On PC with BlueStacks it behaves like a phone app in a smaller window since it was built for screens up to about 7 inches, but using a mouse to snap blocks together feels fine. The whole thing is about building little apps that make the robot do things, like follow a line, avoid obstacles, play animations, or act like a remote control car.
Pairing is straightforward once someone knows the trick. Turn the robot on, press the red button with the three curved arrows two times until the display glows blue, then pair over Bluetooth with code 1234. Inside a project, pick the robot from the device list and the blocks start talking to it. There is support for using the phone sensors too, so tilt or light can control movement, although on a desktop emulator some of those sensors may not be available, so projects that rely on them might need small tweaks. It can even work alongside a wireless Arduino, which means extra sensors or actuators can join the party without much fuss.
Projects can be created, shared, and remixed, and it is fully compatible with Pocket Code, so anyone who used that will feel at home fast. Bluetooth from an emulator can be hit or miss depending on the PC and adapter, but the block editor itself runs smoothly on BlueStacks and is easy to learn.
BlueStacks brings your apps to life on a bigger screen—seamless and straightforward.
