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Build a real brick-robot!
Blocks are known to almost everyone – from an early age they allow you to develop a constructor within yourself. For many, they are still a great way to have fun in their free time, and when combined with electronics, the constructions made go to a higher level. This article describes the educational value of building robots with LEGO bricks, along with a discussion of exemplary models of such robots.
What to consider when buying a LEGO robot?
Before we get our child a LEGO robot, there are some important factors that will determine our choice, taking into account the child’s age and experience level. Depending on the level of kit development and experience, children can build a LEGO robot in a few minutes or, equally, a few hours. Even if the robot is difficult to build, it is important to approach it with patience. Easy-to-follow instructions guide children from building a beginner robot to its hardware and electronics to its software. Instructions are also included in the LEGO robot sets, which also include tips on using the finished robot.
In the case of some sets with a higher degree of difficulty, parental assistance will certainly be useful. Therefore, when buying a LEGO robot toy, it is worth taking into account the age and skills of the child, as well as the minimum age recommended by the manufacturer for a particular set. It is also worth paying attention to the expandability of the set and its compatibility with additional components, such as sensors and motors. Finally, the toy and interacting with it must have educational values – stimulating imagination and creativity in solving problems and creating new technical solutions.
At first – STEM
Robot sets made of LEGO bricks make it possible to explore the world of robotics through play, in line with the STEM philosophy, which aims to develop people’s interests in broadly defined science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. LEGO Robot Sets are a great educational tool that allows children to develop a wide range of broad skills in programming, electronics, robotics and other scientific and technical subjects. They can be used both on their own at home and as teaching aids in schools and universities. Let’s see what the sample LEGO robot sets contain and what capabilities they offer.
LEGO 51515 – Robot Inventor
The LEGO Robot Inventor set represents the Mindstorms series, launched in the late 1990s. The Inventor Robot is a veritable goldmine of ideas and an excellent educational tool that works to inspire all school children and students at every level of education, in line with the STEM philosophy. It is the newest and most up-to-date LEGO Mindstorms set since the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 series, which made its debut in 2013. The Robot Inventor set has also been designed with the idea of learning robotics on your own, at home. Using the parts included in the Robot Inventor kit, we can build five different robots that can walk, shoot darts, and even drive and play basketball. The set consists of 949 parts and is recommended for children aged ten and over. The dedicated LEGO Mindstorms Robot Inventor mobile app includes more than 50 activities that foster creativity in children through the creative process. Kit contents include four motors, a distance sensor, a light sensor and a new smart cube HUB.
Based on Scratch software, the LEGO Mindstorms application is elegant, modern and intuitive to use. The manufacturer has provided ready-made programs to communicate with the robots here. The drag-and-drop block interface effectively facilitates the creation of applications for the robot. Irrespective of the level of initial skills, children will certainly enjoy the combination of building a physical robot and programming it. The included smart HUB cube allows for quick exchange of external modules, offering advanced communication and robot expansion capabilities. Among other things, we can connect electric motors and sensors to the HUB, including a built-in 6-axis gyroscope and accelerometer. The four electric motors come in grey and white and their housing is smaller, making them easier to install and more refined than older versions.
The built-in colour sensor emits light and identifies eight colours, both in bright sunlight and in the dark. The distance sensor is more accurate, detects obstacles faster and is easier to program. Compared to its predecessor, the sensor design has been additionally equipped with light rings around the robot’s ‘eyes’. The robot’s chassis is equipped with small cable trays near the sensor and motor mounting points, which greatly facilitates routing of power and control cables. The robot is powered by a 2100mAh lithium-ion battery. The battery is charged via a USB cable with a micro-USB type B plug. The robot can also be equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and can be controlled from mobile devices based on MS Windows, Android and macOS operating systems. Building, coding and playing with remote controlled robots improves STEM skills. It also teaches accuracy and attention to detail. For example, if the gears and motor starting points are not installed correctly, the robot will not function properly.
Using the Robot Inventor kit, you can build several different robots. If your child wants Charlie to play the drums, he needs some engineering skills. Charlie’s percussion skills help your child to assess the mechanical tempo of playing to get an accurate musical rhythm. Tricky requires a bit of creative thinking about the chain reactions needed to make accurate basketball throws. The set also allows for the construction of remote-controlled vehicles, which further engages children in developing logical thinking skills, developing coding skills and providing lots of fun at the same time. We can also build a crane – hooking and carrying objects through the crane requires some patience to make it work perfectly, but this is how, children learn the art of patience in a creative, frustration-free way.
The LEGO robot set includes five unique models to build and program, but kids aren’t limited to these standard factory ideas. Charlie is a dancing and musical robot that features a wide jaw and a large belly and big chest. Gelo, on the other hand, is a robot just over 20cm long that walks on four legs and is smart enough to avoid obstacles. Tricky, on the other hand, is a small and relatively simple robot that, controlled by remote control, can participate in robotic basketball competitions, competing against other Mindstorms robots.
Both tablets and smartphones will work great for controlling these robots. The additional elements included in the set will stimulate imagination in children to create interesting gadgets for playing ball. Another interesting construction from the Robot Inventor series is Blast – a humanoid robot which is over 30 cm tall. To build it you need more elements than for example Tricky. Kids will love Blast’s robotic shooting and fast target hitting; Blast can throw punches, hammer through obstacles and shoot projectiles. The last of the standard robotic vehicles from the Inventor robot kit, is MVP – a modular, multi-functional remote control vehicle bot with sensors that you’ll find in a smart car. Building, programming and playing with M.V.P. will provide kids with lots of fun, especially moving objects with the crane.
The LEGO Mindstorms Robot Inventor set is compatible with LEGO Technic sets and standard LEGO System bricks. Components such as motors and sensors included in this set are compatible with other robot sets, including the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (17101) and Droid Commander (75253). LEGO Mindstorms 51515 is one of the best LEGO robot sets for kids to develop their coding, building, thinking and other skills included in the STEAM philosophy. The physical and digital world of LEGO programmable robots is educational and fun, and with a competitive price, the Inventor Robot set makes a great gift for kids.
LEGO 17101 – Boost Creative Toolbox
The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox Robotics Set 17101 is an award-winning educational toy designed with the STEM philosophy in mind, which promotes learning, building and programming robots. Although the Boost Creative Toolbox set has more parts than the LEGO Mindstorms EV3, it is simpler to build, making it a great choice for younger children and those who are complete novices to robotics. The toy is recommended for children in the 7-12 age range, and the kit contains a total of 847 parts. Like the Robot Inventor kit, the Boost Creative Toolbox kit also allows you to build five different robot models. Each construction varies in its level of difficulty, both in terms of physical construction and software.
Using the Boost Creative Toolbox set, children can build a starter robot from LEGO bricks using standard instructions. The set is also a very good option for those who want to enter the world of robotics, starting from simple constructions to constructions with a gradually increasing level of difficulty. Young builders will also enjoy the user-friendly Boost Creative Toolbox directive instructions. Easy-to-understand directions and a programming interface will help a child who (yet!) knows nothing to build and program a robot. Beginners will appreciate the block-based graphical software interface, while children with some experience will have fun programming the robot according to the instructions. As a result, children read the instructions while building the simplest robot and learn essential hands-on skills that show them how to break down robot construction into its various layers.
With over 60 activities, the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox set will provide entertainment rich in educational value. Included in the set is the LEGO Move Hub module block, which combines two electric motors that are controlled independently of each other; two I/O ports labelled C and D, an internal tilt sensor and a light sensor, meaning that all five robots that we can build as standard with the pieces included in this set have distance measurement, as well as motion detection and colour recognition. The LEGO hub block has both System pins and LEGO Technic compatible mounting holes, allowing additional external parts to be fitted.
Children can program and control the LEGO robots using the app available for Android as well as iOS mobile devices. The various thematically related activities are colour-integrated with each other, which makes the process of graphical programming very easy (as if we were doing it in the Scratch environment). Dragging and dropping action cards into the game area and pressing the play button triggers a sequence of individual robot reactions. The robots move, grab objects, respond to speech and reposition their moving arms.
Six AAA 1.5V batteries are required to power the robot, which must be purchased separately. The robot’s communication with mobile devices and computers is via Bluetooth. The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox set allows children to develop objective, critical thinking about technologies implemented in line with STEM philosophy. This set, allows children to build LEGO robots differentiated by the sophistication of the physical construction and software algorithm. Such a set is a perfect gift for any robotics fan, including complete beginners. The content of the LEGO robot set allows children to create and build various LEGO robots, perfect for beginners who are just starting their adventure with robotics. Playing with their first LEGO robot will encourage them to create other LEGO robots in the set. One of the robots we can build from this set is the Vernie robot, which moves on caterpillars and has a good sense of humour – it can tell jokes, dance and even, interestingly, emulate the sound of gas being let off.
The Boost Creative Toolbox set will surely appeal also to animal lovers – another robot which we can build using the elements included in this set is Frankie the cat – an interactive pet which will delight young minds. Properly programmed, it demonstrates behaviours similar to those of real cats – it purrs, is playful and expresses its mood. Guitar 4000 is also an interesting construction – it is a robot that music and musical instruments lovers will particularly like – this robot resembling an electric guitar, includes a tuning controller and can generate sound effects. The M.T.R. 4 robot, meanwhile, is a robust and versatile multi-tool off-road rover that comes with four tool attachments, including a spring-loaded cannon. The set also allows you to build the Auto Builder robot, an automated production line for building miniature car models from LEGO bricks.
The set also includes a LEGO Boost wall poster and a play mat for specific activities. The set can be expanded to include other LEGO bricks and LEGO products, such as the LEGO CITY series sets. The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox is one of the best robot sets that introduces young children to robot programming and building. The set was the winner of the 2018 Toy of The Year award. The tutorials included in the set are easy to follow and anyone can build their own robot figure without any prior training in programming and building robots.
LEGO 75253 – Star Wars Boost Droid Commander
LEGO is famous for its extensive range of Star Wars sets. The first set from this series was set no. 7140 – X-Wing Starfighter, which debuted on toy shop shelves in the late 1990s. The legend of the “Star Wars” Saga in the block version continues to this day. This time, the creators of LEGO have gone a step further by creating the LEGO Star Wars Boost Droid Commander robotic set, which was the winner of the 2020 Toy Of The Year poll. This interactive toy is a treat for every fan of droids and space missions. The toy is recommended for children aged eight and up and contains a total of 1177 pieces with which to build the three basic robot-droids familiar from cinema screens – R2-D2, Mouse Droid and Gonk Droid.
The educational process involves completing over forty interactive missions and building the appropriate props. The bags of individual components are numbered for easy identification when assembling the robots. Bag #1 contains the Boost components used in all the robots; Bags #2-6 contain the components to build the R2-D2 droid; Bags #7-9 contain the components to build the Droid Gonk droid, and Bags #10-11 allow you to build the LEGO Mouse Droid. The contents of bag no. 12, on the other hand, include additional elements. The wheel hubs, motors and distance sensors are very easy to assemble and disassemble, without any effort. Digital directions and printable decorations, are available via the mobile app. Controlled by it, the app identifies which LEGO robot is active. The legs of the R2-D2 robot model are not similar, but marked to help beginners and avoid mistakes.
This LEGO set contains new building parts that can inspire imagination and creative thinking when creating unique robots. In this LEGO set, there is a PoweredUp drive block that can be used to control three droids – the block includes a charge hub, a distance sensor and one motor. Although a child can build all three robot-droids at once, they can only control one of the robots at a time. In addition, the box also includes stickers on adhesive film that mimic the dark blue markings of the R2-D2 robot. The robot’s chassis consists of wheels on which the robot can move around the terrain and spin around its own axis. With this set in mind, a mobile application was also created, through which we can control our robots, communicating via Bluetooth. Similarly to other LEGO robotic sets, programming the robot consists in dragging the blocks, whose common colours mean leading the robot to perform a certain action. LEGO robots from the Star Wars series are the perfect definition of the fantasy world in our reality! The LEGO 75253 set can also make a great gift for every Star Wars fan! Let the power of the bricks be with you!
LEGO 31062 – Creator 3in1
The LEGO Creator 3in1 set is sure to appeal to the youngest LEGO users and will spark their interest in engineering. By following the step-by-step instructions, children can build three different robots, namely Robot Dog (dog), Robot Bird (bird) and Robot Explorer. The set contains 205 pieces and the recommended child age for this set is between 7 and 12 years. An attractive piece of equipment is the glowing block, which has a unique function depending on the robot design. Robot Bird’s eyes light up when you press the button on the back of his head, and Robot Dog has a light-up jet pack on his back – once again, four-legged lovers certainly won’t be disappointed! The lack of a tail may indicate inspiration from the French Bulldog. The Explorer Robot, on the other hand, has a spotlight in its right hand to illuminate the terrain while exploring. In addition, the Explorer Robot moves on real caterpillars, has bright green eyes, a rotating head and torso, and movable arms with a searchlight and grapple.
The LEGO Creator 3in1 set, represents excellent value for money and is an ideal option for starting out in robotics. Although, compared to other more elaborate sets, the LEGO 31062 set lacks motors and the ability to be controlled from mobile devices, it is still a very developing toy that robotics fans with a lot of experience will also love. The glowing block, which performs different functions depending on the robot’s construction, is a very attractive visual element and can also be used in other robotic projects according to the user’s imagination!
