I Welcome Our New Robot Overlords ~ #TechToys

by Erik

Robots. What can I say? I have been fascinated by robots my whole life. From the first time I saw Star Wars to the first robot story by Isaac Asimov. It’s safe to say that my interest in math and science has its roots firmly in my fascination with robots. Alas, modern robots are nowhere near as flashy, but in many ways they are just as cool. Though I doubt they will have one of Asimov’s Positronic brains in them, I’m pretty sure that we will have robotic self-driving cars by the time my daughter is old enough to drive. So if my love of robots has served me so well, I would also like to encourage it in my daughter. Not that she really needs it mind you. She is already the proud owner of a bug exploration kit, a “science experiment kit” (as she calls it), and a dinosaur excavation kit. And now I get to add a VEX Robotic Arm by Hexbug.

VEX Robotics Arm_0

I have to admit that when I first saw it my reaction was something along the lines of “OMG that is so cool I want it.” Followed shortly by “I mean my daughter would love it.” And I am happy to say I was not wrong.

My daughter already loves building things with plastic bricks, so following the instructions and putting it together has been a straightforward, if slow, process (slow due to finding the time to work on it together in the evenings).

13549072_1220646901287028_1725273570_o

I can’t wait to show her how it swivels and moves and how the larger and smaller gears mesh together to make everything work like a real industrial robot. Next stop, hooking it up to some motors to play “grab the dog’s tail with the robot arm.” That’s sure to increase her interest in science and math right?

 

Disclaimer: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free

5 comments

Linda Manns Linneman July 1, 2016 - 7:35 am
This is so nice. I love that the children can learn alot while doing this. I will have to check this out soon. Thank you so much for sharing
Reply
Margot C July 3, 2016 - 10:25 pm
That is fantastic, and educational too!
Reply
Jeena Bittenbender July 4, 2016 - 3:04 pm
Sounds amazing!!! My Grandsons would love it!! My Sons, while growing up, we're involved with a big Robotics competition through the school. They had to use Legos and build a working Robot to compete with. It was called Lego League. Lots of fun and leaning.
Reply
Terry Poage July 6, 2016 - 12:56 am
That is really cool. Great learning device.
Reply
melanie July 7, 2016 - 7:27 am
Thanks for the gift idea. Hope my 8 year old enjoys this robot.
Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.