It's the pet every parent dreams of – a dog that doesn't make a mess and teaches kids a life skill. Hasbro has unveiled a robotic dog called Proto Max that educates kids on the basics of coding by letting them program its personality. There are also 10 activation points on the robo-dog's body, which kids assign reactions to and the app is equip with a remote control so users can drive it around. Hasbro has unveiled a robotic dog called Proto Max that children use a companion app to customize its personality – educating them about the basics of coding. Hasbro unveiled a $120 coding toy for children ages six and older. Called Proto Max, kids use an app to customize its personality.

Toy makers are coming up with more and more ways to encourage children to learn STEM skills, and Hasbro is trying to do that in a somewhat futuristic way. The company is releasing a $120 robotic dog toy called Proto Max as part of its FurReal Friends line of animatronic pets that children can customize via an app. To be clear, you'll be tweaking this robo-dog's behavior and character, not the colors of its eyes or fur or the shape of its nose or face. That initially sounded a bit too much like pet Westworld to me, but after a brief demonstration, I was persuaded to quiet my internal ethics police. Proto Max is designed for kids ages six and older to learn the basics of how programming works, but even those who don't want to deal with figuring out how to customize a robot can still play with it.