Makeblock

We've been fans of the mBot brand since we backed their first mBot robots on Kickstarter. The range has come a long way since then. Makeblock now have a full range of coding, electronics and robotics kids from the littlest kids through to older teens. 

Their products are really well made and have excellent tools and educational resources to go with them. We've always been impressed with how much you can do with a Makeblock kit. When you give a child an mBot or of the other you can be sure that's there are plenty of high quality activities to go with it. 

Note that there are sometimes Makeblock voucher codes on Amazon (they are part of the listing and you can just click to apply them.) Definitely worth looking out for!

Makeblock mTiny - age 3-5

Makeblock mTiny is a seriously cute little cube-shaped robot for preschoolers. mTiny has a panda design but there are also costumes that you can put on the robot to create different characters. mTiny has a storybook with activities to introduce kids to the robot. 

There's a remote control that can be used to move mTiny forwards and backwards and turn left and right.

mTiny also comes with physical coding cards that you can tap with the remote control to program mTiny's movement and emotional expressions. Kids can join the cards together and then tap them in sequence with the remote to program mTiny. The blocks look just like blocks from the popular ScratchJr app so physical play will translate into skills in the app. 

 There are also grid cards that can be joined together to make a mat for mTiny to navigate. This is a great idea. Much better value than the expensive single configuration mats for some kids floor robots. There are sounds effects and facial expressions so kids can really make mTiny come to life.

Makeblock Codey Rocky - Age 6-10+

Codey Rocky is designed for children age 6-10+. This robot can be programmed from a block-based app based on the popular Scratch drag and drop coding platform. Many kids use Scratch in school so they'll be right at home with Cody Rocky, or they'll get a head start if they have access to the robot first. 

The robot has an LED panel that can be programmed to display emotions or text. It has a range of electronics including proximity and cliff detected (to stop it diving off a table) and a color sensor. If you have more than one Codey Rocky they can communicate with each other. 

 The physical robot base is LEGO-compatible to so kids can customize it. 

The head part is Codey and can be removed from the Rocky base. The programming app is really extensive, it even has AI features for facial recognition. As well as Scratch coding, there's the option to program with Python (a text-based coding language that is widely used in industry.)

Makeblock mBot Neo - Age 8-12

The Makeblock mBot Neo is an update on the original mBot. It's designed for kids who are 8-12. Assembling the robot from it's components is part of the learning experience for the mBot Neo. It comes with tools and instructions to assemble the robot and you can also get add-on parts to customize mBot Neo. 

The main board or microcontroller is the modular Cyber Pi unit which has a joystick and buttons and can be removed to act as a remote control. mBot is packed with sensors so it can be programmed to be a line following robot or to complete obstacle courses. 

Like Codey Rocky, mBot Neo can be programmed in Scratch, or if kids are ready, Python. 

 mBot Neo robots can communicate with each other wirelessly which gives lots of extra activities for friends, siblings or classmates. 

The original mBot was pretty revolutionary when it appeared and Makeblock have continued to innovate to make sure the mBot Neo version has everything you'd expect from a modern programmable floor robot for kids, and a bit more!

Makeblock mBot Ranger - Age 10+

The mBot Ranger 3 in 1 is the next step up from the mBot Neo and aimed at tweens and younger teens aged around 10+. This was my older's son's favourite robot when he was at primary school. There's a lot more physical building involved with the Ranger - there are three main robot configurations you can build with the kit - so kids will need good coordination, patience and an interest in actually assembling a robot. Once assembled the mBot Ranger can be remote controlled from an app and programmed using Scratch. The mBot Ranger has additional capabilities that are specific to the three different builds - one of them is a two-wheeled balancing robot which is pretty neat. The mBot Ranger can also be programmed using Arduino, a popular hardware programming platform used my many microcontroller devices. This takes kids through to more grown up coding and provides a bridge to the adult maker community. Makeblock also have many products aimed at adult makers.

Makeblock mBot Ultimate - Age 12+

At the top end of the Makeblock robotics range for kids is the Makeblock mBot Ultimate. It's a similar concept to the ranger but with a lot mroe parts! You can build 10 different robots. There's a robot arm, various vehicles and even a robot bartender. The Ultimate is a great option for older tweens and teens who are really interested in robotics. You can still program this robot in Scratch which makes lots of features easily accessible, and there's also Arduino support for grow up coding. The Ultimate is designed to be used with a mobile phone and many of the activities make use of a phone. The Makeblock Ultimate is suitable for adult beginners as well as kids so it makes a great family gift for parents and kids to use together.

Summary

Makeblock make electronics and construction parts for hobbyists, beginners and families. They have lots of fantastic programmable robot kits to make awesome machines.

The Makeblock platform offers a fantastic path for young makers to start from the kid-friendly mBot and mBot Ranger and progress through to more advanced robotics. An mBot robot is the basis for a series of posts on Tech Age Kids about Roby the robot dog (we backed the original Kickstarter for the mBot.)

Disclaimer: Makeblock have kindly sent us some of their products to review. We don't guarantee a review and only feature products that we enjoy.

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