Ann Arbor after-school program teaches kids cutting-edge technology

A new Southeast Michigan business is offering kids and teens a unique opportunity to grow their interest in technology. 

Eight-year-old Abby Frankel sat at a computer Saturday, engaged in the World of Minecraft, a game she learned about during a one-week summer camp at iCode Ann Arbor.

"I learned how to if something's going wrong with your computer, how to fix it. We had these like robots, and we needed to code. I was with one of my friends, and we made it go through two tunnels, and we showed our parents," Frankel said.

iCode Ann Arbor celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, and its owner says it's been a long time coming.

"My wife Diane and I started this as we wanted to bring knowledge, hands-on application of learning technology with their hands, not just reading about it, to life in Ann Arbor and help these children understand what the world of possibility in the future," said Vivek Saran, owner of iCode Ann Arbor.

Saran says his goal is to deliver this promise to parents.

"To have fun, to make sure they're in a safe environment where they can have a lot of fun, but also where they get to learn things practically," Saran said.

iCode offers a wide variety of after-school STEM programs for children ages 5 to 18.

"It teaches children the skills that they will likely need to be successful in the world. But I think it also is going to do it in a way that is fun and engaging and interactive and collaborative," said Andy Frankel, Abby's father. 

It's one of 16 campuses across the country where high school students get to work with this humanoid robot named Cody.

 "They're actually getting to learn advanced Python, C+ ROVS2, and actually getting to build things on the robot, as well as getting the robot to do things that they can't even get in most entry-level college courses," Saran said.

The child-sized robot plays "Simon Says" and can rise off the floor.

"I think iCode can teach children and adults how to use it appropriately, and I think teach them some good digital citizenship, especially with the advent of AI and you know all the good and not so good that comes with that," Frankel said.