--- description: Find out why Matatalab Pro Set is one of the best inventions of 2020. title: Matatalab Pro Set: The 100 Best Inventions of 2020 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68f9a969877ccb24/698a1453db29877c44266064/best-inventions-of-2020-Matatalab-Pro-Set.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 19, 2020 # Programming Prep Matatalab Pro Set by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Courtesy Can you teach a 5-year-old how to think like a computer programmer? The makers of the Matatalab Pro Set ($229) think so—and that kids can learn the basics of coding without ever looking at a screen. To program the Pro Set’s miniature robot, kids place small “coding blocks” that each represent a simple command—for example, a block illustrated with an arrow pointing to the left tells the robot to turn left—on the set’s control board. After stringing together a set of actions, they press the start button and watch the robot carry out the instructions. _—Nadia Suleman_ **Buy now:** [Matatalab Pro Set](https://shop.matatalab.com/products/matatalab-pro-set "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911448/matatalab-pro-set/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911448/matatalab-pro-set/"},"headline":"Programming Prep","datePublished":"2020-11-19T01:29:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:45:31.190Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911448/matatalab-pro-set/","keywords":["list","franchise","best inventions","Best Inventions 2020"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68f9a969877ccb24/698a1453db29877c44266064/best-inventions-of-2020-Matatalab-Pro-Set.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68f9a969877ccb24/698a1453db29877c44266064/best-inventions-of-2020-Matatalab-Pro-Set.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911448/matatalab-pro-set/","name":"Programming Prep"}}]}] ```