Robotics can get to be quite expensive, as those of us at Robot Snob know. But with the economy being the way it is, we have scanned the Net to find the best bots for fewer bucks. We have included categories by the budget as well as kids' stuff, those for adults, and some for DIY fans. Happy shopping with our First Annual Gift Guide!
Under $50.00
Grandport has several kits for those who are just getting started in robotics. With brightly colored pieces and plastic pieces that snap together, choose from Tarmo, Sumobot, and TouchMe. Solarbotic's Herbie the Mouse needs some soldering, but will keep anyone amused by his battery-powered antics. Discovery's Kids Electronic Gadget Lab can make over 100 projects with 30 snap pieces.
Under $25.00
There are many robots that may do a little less, but can amuse adults and children alike for under $25.00. Most of them have been out for awhile, and as we all know, the longer an electronic is out, the more outdated it is, and the price drops. But kids and those who are not yet robotically inclined will love one of these.
If money is no object, at the top of the list has to be our fave Sesame Street character, Elmo Live. Although they will be in short supply, we think it is worth the effort to find one, although you may end up paying more than the current list price of around $60.00. We also suggest a Pleo, who becomes more affordable all the time, and have new applications every time we turn around.
Of course, iRobot has the perfect gifts for those who hate household chores. Now there are several Roombas available. The original Roomba cleans both carpet and bare floors and starts at a mini-price of $129.99. The Scooba will clean the scummiest of bathroom and kitchen floors. It preps, washes, scrubs and squeegees on wood, linoleum, and other surfaces. The Dirt Dog cleans up sawdust, small nails, nuts and bolts, and is the perfect gift for wives that want to hint around to their mates. The Verro is perfect for those who can't afford poolboys, while the Looj is a good way to erase something off the honey-do list. Don't forget the ConnectR that allows you to see and chat with family and friends. There are limited supplies of the ConnectR, but you can get on their mailing list for future availability.
DIY Kits
If you have someone in your life who prefers the DIY route, try one of these suggestions. Trossen has a wide variety of them that include their humanoid kits come in all price ranges. They also have kits for beginners that are not only fun, but will get your child on the early road to robotics.
Movie Robots
Let's not forget those Movie bots. Although we covet the can-do-it-all U Command Wall-E any fan of the film and iPods would settle for the i-Dance WALL-E for less than $20.00. Transformer fans will surely love the Deluxe Payload Armored Truck. Movies are always welcome for the holidays and a really fine way to keep your kids occupied when you are exhausted from all the festivities. We recommend Robots or I, Robot for teens. Finally, if you have never seen the movie Short Circuit (from 1986), this is a fun family fare for the holidays.
Plush Robots
For younger kids, try one of Hasbro's FurReal Friends. Their collection includes Squawkers McCaw Parrot to the more affordable Newborn Chimp, Kitten, Dalmation Puppy and Honey Bear, all of which are under $20.00. Buy more than one at a time and they are even less expensive.
Still haven't found what you want? Keep checking in the weeks ahead with us and we will be relentless in our search to make this holiday affordable for all our botty friends. Let us know in our comment section if you find something that will make others gleeful this season.
Once an NXT fan, always an NXT fan. Although he hadn't done so in 20 years, "thinkingbricks" took a few Lego Mindstorms NXT sets and built a programmable talking robot. He demonstrates the results as well as kindly offering the DIY instructions. The clever man claims that it has been "hastily documented" so that he could tear it apart and build another one. Take a look at some of his other designs on his website.
The NRC (Nokia Research Center) has designed Jeppe. He seems pretty much a standard bot to us (and his base is a Lego Mindstorms NXT!) He can patrol or act as surveillance in your home or workplace. The prototype consists of a digital compass and ultra sound sensors, video cam, and can make gesture controlled movements. Jeppe's two-way audio makes for "active videoconference" but, the way we see it, he is just your basic blob. Back to the drawing board, Nokia, until you can get him to roll over, vacuum, or find our missing keys.
Genius certainly runs in this family. Jim Kelly created a Sundial Robot after being inspired by his son. It was made out of a Lego Mindstorms NXT, 3 motors, and compass, light, and touch sensors, and about 270 other parts. The bot rotates 360º in 5º increments. Without going into details that even we don't understand, suffice it to say that it is accurate within 15 minutes.
Greg Blonder has created a Slide Rule Alarm Clock. The man is an inventor, physicist, designer, and former Bell Labs scientist, so it is easy to see why this timepiece is as much art as it is a functioning device. He created it with Lego Mindstorms NXT and a foam core. Hours and minutes are on each of the rulers and they meet at a central slider. We want one!
Lego Mindstorms NXT continues to inspire creativity, as in the form of Alphonso Martone's Pin-Plotter. Finalized after 2 tries, the third is made of one NXT brick, 3 motors, 3 touch-sensors, and lots of Technic bricks. It creates a printable area of 3.6 x 2.7" with a bitmap of 1,500 holes in about 40 minutes. Using a 0.3mm needle, it has a maximum resolution of 1.3 holes/mm (33 dpi.) The gadget runs on 6 1.2 V NiMH AA NXT batteries. We dig that a driver was included in the clever device.
We are happy to report that all the Lego Mindstorms NXT that were launched at last week's H.A.L.E. have successfully returned to the planet. While up there, each of them took pictures and performed a variety of experiments. Check the site for more images to come and to find out what else the little robotic buggers are planning.
H.A.L.E. to Celebrate 10 Years of Lego Mindstorms NXT
Nevada Space Grant, Energizer, the University of Nevada-Reno and National Instruments have teamed together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of
Lego Mindstorms NXT. College professors, middle school students, and Mindstorms freaks in general are planning on launching several of the bots today to collect data and explore Earth's atmosphere. All concerned are hoping to set a world record with H.A.L.E. (High Altitude Lego Extravaganza.)
The robots will be inserted into 2 weather balloons, launched outside Reno, and will go as high as 100,000 feet up. After the balloons burst, the NXTs will parachute back down to the planet.
There have been other robots that can solve the Rubik's Cube, and now Hans Anderson has programmed his Lego Mindstorms NXT to do the same. The Tilted Twister has a set of sensors that detects when holds the puzzle, then calculates the moves. Using algorithms, the Twister can solve the cube in an average of 60 moves in about 6 minutes. While it may not be as fast as Rubot II, it certainly will beat most humans. Being the decent guy that he is, Anderson is sharing his instructions and plans with anyone who wants them.
If you live in Southeastern Michigan and have an interest in robotics, Rocks and Robots is a combination science and adventure program for ages 7 - 17 who want more to do with their summers than hang around the house. They offer summer camps, workshop weekends, and special events designed around kids' brains and bodies. Those who are only interested only in robotics can take part in a "Mayan Adventure" by building a Lego NXT Mindstorm and exploring a pyramid. If it sounds intriguing, contact Katie Tilton at 734-645-0211 or visit their site for rates and more information.
And yet another kewl gadget devised by someone using Lego's NXT Mindstorm has been introduced. Mike D'Amour had the original idea, and Will Gorman built and kindly provided instructions so that you can build your own toilet flushing robot. The RoboFlush gives you the option of a manual flush as well. If the duo could figure out how to get it to clean the thing, now that would be worth the investment.
We know that there are just as many adults as kids that dig Lego's Mindstorm NXT, so we applaud the efforts of Anders Søborg's NXT Image Scanner. Utilizing a HiTechnic color sensor, the scanner saves in 24-bit true color, 8-bit color, or gray scale. The design also has a small LCD menu to set up properties. Best of all, Anders shares his knowledge with the world, so the very least we could do is pass on his instructional DIY video.
What do you get when you cross an iPhone with a Lego Mindstorm NXT Robot? You get a Legophone or perhaps it is an iNXT programmed with NXJ and a Safari Web application. Whatever you call it, we think it is too cool. As soon as we can afford all the necessary ingredients, we just may make one for ourselves. Our props to "willgorman" and his cleverness. You can find the DIY instructions at BattleBricks.
Our first official month of posting closes here at Robot Snob. It's been a fun month of robotic weirdness, and we look forward to more months, years, and decades of ahead of robot news, views, and reviews. May had lots of lawn robots, house robots, and of course symphony conducting robots. We'll keep the robot news flowing in June, and expect some hands on reviews in the weeks ahead.
Robot Snob 2008 Holiday Gift Guide
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