From Baymax to Ultron, children are experiencing robotic inventions every time they go to the movie theater or turn on the TV. If you have a robotic vacuum or alarm clock in your house, they’re already familiar with household robots and how much simpler (and fun!) they can make your life. They might even be dreaming about becoming more like Tony Stark and building their own!
If you’re looking to build a robot with your kid, it’s important to make sure that the kit you choose can teach them about science, technology, engineering, and math. A good kit will teach them how to build the shell for the robot, wire it together, program it, and then operate it. The following are excellent examples of robot kits that allow your kid to create their own masterpiece:
Elegoo UNO Project Smart Robot Car Kit ($74)
The Elegoo UNO Project Smart Robot Car kit is a robot kit that uses the Arduino platform, an open-source hardware and software platform that is widely used in the educational system. The kit includes 24 distinct modules, which can teach your child everything from using an infrared receiver for utilizing a remote control and Bluetooth to connect the robot to a cell phone or tablet, as well as instructions and software to teach your child how to load programs and command the robot. However, the kit also allows you to be innovative and add compatible third-party sensors.
Tenergy Odev Tomo ($100)
The Tenergy Odev Tomor is a 2-in-1 transformable and programmable robot designed for kids eight and older that can be assembled into two different robots. The kit includes the main control box, different inputs such as a tracking sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, color-coded ports, and clearly labeled parts. The robot can be controlled via Tenergy’s free ODEV Explorer mobile app or manually through the ODEV Blockly app using graphic programming, which allows you to upload and share your creations with other users through their cloud. Your child can also use the extra ports in the main control box to add third-party modules to their robot.
Makeblock DIY Ultimate Robot Kit ($350)
The Makeblock DIY Ultimate Robot Kit allows your child to create ten unique designs, from a robotic arm tank to a camera dolly. The kit utilizes an Arduino-based MegaPi mainboard that can handle either ten servers or eight DC motors at the same time; however, it is also compatible with the Raspberry PI board. Your child will use the Scratch 2.0-based mBlock software for PCs and mobile devices, which allows them to drag-and-drop block of code as they program. Using the Raspberry Pi board, an advanced user can use Python to program their robots.
Teaching your child basic robotics is a fun way to introduce your child to engineering concepts and help foster a love for STEM that will grow with them throughout their formative years. However, when choosing a kit, it’s important to take into consideration your child’s age and interest level to select a kit that is both fun and educational for them.
Little Robot Mechanic Class
This summer, immerse your child in the wonderful world of robots with a hands-on group learning experience! During the Club SciKidz Little Robot Mechanic class, we will teach your child about circuits, power supply basics, and how simple machines can be used in more complex machines. Visit our registration to reserve a spot today!