*We received the mBot2 Robotics Kit with the Rover Add-On in exchange for this product review. However, the opinions expressed are solely our own. The links below are affiliate links and we will receive a small amount toward our homeschool if you purchase something through the link.*
I am always on the lookout for STEM projects that challenge my teens and ideally involve some coding. When Makeblock reached out and asked me to review one of their Coding Robot Kits, we were super excited to try them.
We opened them as soon as they arrived in the mail and were glad to see the high-quality of the materials and instructions. Then, we realized they had the potential to become a significant part of our homeschooling for the next several months! Here is what we have discovered so far, and I will be updating this review as we explore more.
Quick Pros and Cons of the Robot Kits:
Pros:
- The materials and packaging are very high-quality and everything was easy to put together.
- Takes just 30 minutes to build the robot.
- Easy to understand instructions with pictures and text for the building portion. (We just got stuck once with a picture that wasn’t as close-up as we would have liked.)
- Once the robot is built you can program it with Scratch or Python.
- There is a ton of learning potential and this could be used for a STEM course in your homeschool or co-op for at least a semester.
Cons:
- At first, it seems like an expensive gift or tool to add to your homeschool at $149 for the mBot2 alone or $259 for the mBot2 with the Rover add-on (regular prices). However the prices are realistic considering the quality of materials and the learning potential of the kits. Makeblock also has periodic sales.
- It took us awhile to figure out how to link our phone with the robot to be able to program it. More instructions about next steps at the end of the building instructions would be helpful.
- The mBot2 is NOT an entry level tool and could be overwhelming for someone who does not have much tech experience. Be ready to spend some time digging into all the ways you can use it.
Who is Makeblock?
Makeblock makes and sells DIY robotics kits and hosts an educational platform for customers to learn how to use their kits to advance their coding skills. They were founded in 2013 with the goal of “helping people turn their ideas into reality and taking education to the next level.” Their mission is to “deliver STEAM education solutions that foster a growth mindset in the next generation of problem solvers, developing essential skills for students worldwide.”
What are the mBot 2 and mBot 2 Rover Robot Kits?
The mBot2 is one of Makeblock’s most popular robots right now. The Rover kit is an add-on to the mBot2 that provides you with a remote control and tracks that allow the mBot2 to climb surfaces. The mBot2 is powered by a rechargeable lithium battery.
The mBot2 comes with a smart device called CyberPi, which attaches to the top of the robot. This device has Bluetooth capabilities and can be linked to a phone or tablet to program it. It has eight sensors, including light, humidity, and temperature! I see an upcoming project using it to create a weather station!
The CyberPi is programmable using Scratch, a block coding language created for children by MIT, or using Python, a more advance programming language used by software developers. My son started programming in Scratch around age 10 so he brought some really good background knowledge to using it with the CyberPi. Here is a tutorial if you want to get your kids started with Scratch.
You are also able to link a computer with the CyberPi via a USB cable. We found this to be the easiest interface for programming it.
Our Experience with the Robot Kit
The robot itself took about 30 minutes to build and was easy to put together. We then played around with some of the demo programs. One shows how the robot senses color to follow a line of the floor.
Click to watch a video of the robot following a track.
Another demo shows how the robot avoids obstacles using ultrasonic waves to sense objects and then move to avoid it. The third demo allows you to move the joystick in different directions and then push a button to have the robot execute the moves you just told it to do.
We then downloaded the app for programming it to a phone. However, it took us awhile to link the app to the mBot2. We finally realized we needed to link it to the CyberPi device on top of the robot and then we were off and running.
The first thing my son did was connect the robot to the internet to go out and search for the current weather and time. Once the robot found the information, it displayed it on the LED screen on the CyberPi.
Over the next couple weeks he is planning on programming it to move based on voice commands since it has voice recognition capabilities. He and his dad want to teach it a map of the house so they can command it to go specific places in the house. I am hoping they can figure out how to have the robot bring my coffee in the morning! 😂 I also think we should set up some obstacle courses and see how it does moving through them.
Who are the Robot Kits for?
The Makeblock Robot Kits start at age 4. The mBot2 that we received is for ages 8 and up. The Rover add-on kit is recommended for ages 12 and up. As you can see from some of experiments above, even adults will have fun learning and programming the robots.
The robot kits are already used in schools and afterschool clubs all over the world. They would make a great STEM course in your homeschool or homeschool co-ops could create a semester long class around them. Kids can work in teams so you would not need a robot for each kid in your family or co-op.
I love that my son wants to get this out in the evening and play with it. I can guarantee you he has never done that with his math or grammar work!
Our Future Robot Plans
Next year, my son starts high school and we are planning Earth Science as his freshman science course. I am excited to see how we can incorporate the robot into some real life experiments. I already see the potential for using it as a weather station, but I am also wondering if it would be possible to program it to analyze soil types or to measure simulated earthquakes.
I also see tons of applications for Physics as well, so the robot might just be our friend for all of high school. I will update this review as we learn more!
