My middle son has expressed an interest in building robots. It has always been my policy to encourage my boys to do whatever interests them, provide them with materials and equipment, give the appropriate level of supervision/help, and see what they do. He loves science and is starting to like math, so I really want to nurture this interest.
I know about Lego’s Mindstorms sets, which seem like a good starting point, but they’re A) kinda pricey; and B) not… robot-y enough. I’d like to show him something a little more serious, that won’t end up in the toy box at the end of the day. I’ve got a pretty well-equipped workshop in my garage (mostly for woodworking, but there’s a soldering iron and some basic electrical tools out there), and know a little about metalwork and electrical stuff. I’m not very well-versed in electronics, so there would be learning for both of us to do.
Any suggestions for entry-level robots? Experience with the Lego components? Good reference books?
I came across this recently, a sort of snap-together electronics set for kids. It’s not specific to robots but it looks like you could build some simple robot-like things:
I’ve got one of the older Mindstorms sets and it’s pretty awesome - the key benefits are ease of compatibility with other Lego parts and the simplicity of the programming language - it’s a sort of drag-drop-connect language - actually, building a program for Mindstorms is a lot like building with Lego bricks (I’m sure this is no coincidence).
Another thing I’ve played with is the OOPIC - again, it has a sort of modular object-oriented programming metaphor, with ready-made objects for controlling stepper motors, servos, sensors, LEDs, etc - which means you can focus more on the actual build/design of your robot, and less on grinding out and debugging code - if that’s what floats your boat.
ETA: I see OOPIC has actually ceased production - shame, but I guess it’s been vastly overtaken by things like Raspberry Pi.
Don’t sell the Mindstorms stuff short. It sounds like you’re a bit more interested in the “building stuff” part of robotics, but the programming part is just as important.
Another vote for the Mindstorms set. I think it’s more impressive than you’re giving it credit for (and not something you’d put in a toy box in any case).
The FLL season is in the Fall for schools, but the high school FTC are in competitions this month and next – here’s a list. They are free to come watch, and you can wander out back to the pit area and see robots up close and personal. Quite impressive for the little ones, especially if you find a team that wants to show off while waiting to get on the field. At some events a team may bring the FLL table to show off, and you can ask questions there to see if its fit for you.
I’m not quite sure what type of “robot-y” robots you’re looking for – googling “lego mindstorms projects for adults” gives plenty of robots. I grant you it’s a cost to buy in, but Mindstorm (and other kits) do give you a good starting platform to build on, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel (and deal with the mess of cutting parts and soldering) to get up to programming all the actions to drive it.
However, if it is traveling the road and not the destination that interests you and your son, there are websites that have the parts and you can do the rest. (I don’t have a list handy.)
I’m under the impression that there is a Lego set that would be appropriate before getting into Mindstorms. Mindstorms would be the final step, there is something in-between (I think).
The reason I think this is because last December my Mom bought my nephews something at the lego store. The explanation was that this was the buildup to mindstorms. I think it is legos with actuators, but not all the programming stuff yet.
If you can, though, get hold of some of the old-style Lego Technic from eBay (or even from when it was called Lego Technical) - it’s much more reusable and reconfigurable in a general sense - it’s more like a Lego version of Meccanno/Erector.
As for fostering interest, how about watching “Robot Combat League” on SyFy together? Some pretty impressive looking robots and the action may hold the attention of a 1st grader. It may generate questions in his mind that would foster more research.
Based on my limited exposure to 1st graders, I suspect the best way to foster an interest in robotics is to tell him he’s too young to learn about robotics.
Be sure to show him the beginning mini-series of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica so he understands the potential risks of advanced robotics. All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.
