A growing trend

An Artie 3000 costs six times more than the average toy in the US market, which costs about $10, according to the Toy Association.

An industry expert said parents would be more likely to spend that extra money on the educational or technological components featured in products like the Artie 3000.

"STEM toys continue to grow in popularity, as parents and grandparents want to give their kids and grandkids toys that are not only fun, but also teach skills that will help them succeed at school and in the future," Jackie Breyer, editorial director at The Toy Book and The Toy Insider, told China Daily by e-mail. "This trend has been building for a few years, and there is no sign of it slowing down."

"(Parents) understand in America we're making a big deal about STEM," Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, a professor of education, psychology, linguistics and cognitive science at the University of Delaware, told China Daily. "We're trying to increase the number of scientists and engineers in the US, and we're having trouble (doing it)."

"Our future really depends on the kind of innovation and discovery using STEM and STEAM－that needs to happen," said Golinkoff, who is also the author of the book Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children.

"So the toy companies also have picked up on that," she said.

"When you can code, then it means you know how to command a computer. In this day and age, and in the future, the computer is the most powerful tool," said Pooh Eamcharoenying, managing director of Project Lab Co Ltd, developer of another coding robot: Mojobot.

Using Mojobot, children can arrange various coding tags to control movements of a robot, which allows them to start coding naturally by playing.

"Coding is something that is big and challenging for a lot of kids. Some kids might be creative or more technical, but this allows them to combine those skills," Parkhurst said.