It was only a few years ago that robots were mainly found in factories. Today they are becoming an ever-increasing presence in the home. They are helpful but also a lot of fun – especially if you build them yourself.
Robots can mow your lawn, clean your windows or monitor your empty home. They are highly specialised and optimised for their respective tasks. However, many people don’t realise that you can build a robot yourself and program it to be your own personal helping hand.
Build a robot in ten minutes
For a good beginners’ kit, look no further than Makeblock MBOT BLUE BT. Makeblock offer a whole range of building kits and parts for home robots – the BLUE BT is a great one to start with.
Makeblock products are primarily designed to help you learn about robots. They are aimed at older children and teenagers, but also make great fun for adults.
In under ten minutes, you can assemble a small, friendly-looking vehicle, that can be used immediately without programming. Using the supplied infrared remote control, you can command the BLUE BT to drive straight ahead.
Its ultrasound sensor allows it to recognise obstacles and avoid them, just as a vacuum cleaner robot would. It is also capable of following a predetermined line using its brightness sensor.
However, the real talents of the MBOT BLUE BT can be seen by programming it.
You can do this using the easy-to-use mBlock programme for PC, Mac, Linus and Chrome OS, which is based on the educational programming language Scratch 2.0.
There’s no need for knowledge of complicated control commands, as mBlock functions completely via drag-and-drop. You can program the BLUE BT easily on the computer.
For example, you can make a robot follow a light source, or control it from the PC via the integrated Bluetooth module. A free smartphone app for iOS and Android allows you to control the wheels, LEDs and voice generators of the mini robot.
Three robots in one
For more advanced builders, the next step is the MBOT RANGER, which combines three vehicles in one.
As a “Land Raider”, it can handle a variety of terrains, while in “Dashing Raptor” mode, it moves on two legs. As a “Nervous Bird”, its gyro sensor allows it to keep its balance on only two wheels. The MBOT RANGER can be assembled in various ways and offers light, sound, gyro and temperature sensors, which can be easily added as required.
You can even program the robot so that it starts to “dance” as soon as surrounding sounds reach a certain volume. Or you can program it as a moving thermometer, lighting up its LEDs in a different colour depending on the temperature.
The MBOT RANGER can also be programmed via mBlock or controlled from your smartphone using the Makeblock app.
For even more programming modes, we’d recommend the MB ULTIMATE 2.0. With this kit, you can design ten different robot models. From the “Robot Arm Tank” for gripping and lifting objects, to the “3D Capture” for panoramic smartphone filming, a multitude of different applications are possible. Additional parts are also available separately.
The Makeblock robot kits are far more than toys. The programming is easy to use, but will build logical thinking skills. Even people who have never written a line of programming code in their lives can develop applications for the robots in no time.
They offer an entertaining opportunity to explore the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.
All three models are made of anodised aluminium, so are robust enough to tolerate collisions and knocks while learning.
