My niece is turning 4 next month which prompted me to go hunting
for a Pre-K robotics set. OMG are there a multitude of possibilities to choose
from, especially if you are independently wealthy (which I’m not). With all the
STEM initiatives, I guess everyone is jumping on the robotics bandwagon,
including manufacturers. Since I am the nerdy-engineer aunt, I am looking at
this birthday present as an educational investment – meaning I’d like to find a
product that she can build as well as program and that gives her the flexibility
to create her own designs. From a practical standpoint, I’d like the product to
be fun right out of the box with enough possibilities to hold her interest
long-term. This list is not by all means complete, since there are new products
popping up every day. I purposefully left off remote-control type robots like
Sphero or robots that would be too sophisticated and frustrating for younger
kids. But I’m passing along the products I discovered in case you need to go shopping
for your own niece or nephew.
LEGO WeDo. Since I’m already a big fan of LEGO (and so is my
niece), this system is an obvious choice. It’s buildable, programmable, and compatible
with just about every platform (Mac/Windows, Chromebook, iOS, Android). Some
people complain that the base kit contains only 1 motor, but LEGO’s online
tutorial gives several different gearing designs for utilizing the output from
just 1 motor (including 2-wheeled vehicles). I find that incredibly intriguing,
not to mention a great think-out-of-the-box learning tool. But I just saw an
announcement for LEGO’s new Boost robotics system that’s giving me pause. While
I’ve seen some reviews that describe it as more “exciting” than WeDo, I’m not
convinced (yet) it will be that much different from the current WeDo system
beyond giving you 2 motors and some new sensors. Plus I’m not seeing any Chromebook-compatibility.
Unfortunately, I can’t check it out for myself, because Boost isn’t shipping
until August 2017.
Dash & Dot. This robot is a bit pricey, but definitely programmable
with iOS, Android, or surprisingly Kindle Fire. But these robots come
pre-built. There are some interesting accessories you can get to go with them,
like a xylophone, ball launcher, and bulldozer bar, but that incurs an
additional expense. What baffled me, though, were the building block connectors
that will allow you to “snap on LEGO blocks to transform Dash into anything.”
Why wouldn’t I just save myself some money and buy a LEGO robotics set to start
with???
Ozobot. This tiny, little robot is certainly fascinating. He’s
cheap, miniature in size, and programmable with colored markers. Unfortunately,
he’s not buildable and I don’t see any long-term creative possibilities. (But
that doesn’t mean I’m not intrigued enough to try one out on my own!)
Meccano. Since this robotics kit
is modeled after the old erector sets, it is definitely buildable. You even
attach the pieces together with real screws. The price isn’t bad, but customer
reviews indicate that some models take a long time to build, programming can be
confusing, and there may be problems with the system’s power management
(battery life). I think this system offers a lot of creative possibilities, but
it might be a bit overwhelming for a 4-year old. Meccano gets placed on the
back burner until she’s older.
EZ-Robot. This system is comprised
of EZ-Bits that you click together to make a robot. Sounds simple, but the bits
you are clicking together do things like speech recognition, vision tracking, glyph
recognition, GPS tracking – activities that are almost over my head, let alone
hers. Again, goes on the shelf for later.
MakeBlock mBot. You have to build this robot, but once it’s put
together, I don’t see possibilities for making new designs unless you purchase
add-on kits. It is, however, compatible with LEGO (there we go again), so you
can get creative that way. This kit does, however, come with 2 motors whereas
WeDo only comes with 1. MakeBlock has its own programming app, but it is also
compatible with Scratch and Arduino. One of the nice things about their website
is that they have 2 free tutorials you can download with lots of getting
started activities specifically made for kids.
ZOOB-Bot. This is a very inexpensive kit that you can buy at
most retail stores with a toy department. The pieces snap together to create
different designs. There is no programming involved, because it is more of a
mechanical device with pull-back motors. It’s probably not a bad toy for an
afternoon’s enjoyment, but not a long-lasting contender.
4M Tin Can Robot. I’ll have to admit, I already bought one of
these kits for my niece. It’s only $10 and has that artsy/craftsy feel to it
that I enjoy. You make the robot out of a recycled soda can. It comes with a
motor, a couple cams, and some miscellaneous parts for decoration. There isn’t
any programming involved and the kit isn’t reusable, but it makes for a silly
afternoon of nerdy fun.
