best robotics kit

Rating details & item highlights

• value
  3.6 out of 5
• length of play
  3.5 out of 5
• broad age appeal
  3.5 out of 5
• quality
  3.5 out of 5

• Build your own awesome, wearable mechanical hand that you operate with your own fingers.
• No motors, no batteries — just the power of air pressure, water, and your own hands!
• Hydraulic pistons enable the mechanical fingers to open and close and grip objects with enough force to lift them. Every finger joint can be adjusted to different angles for precision movement.
• Three configurations: right hand, left hand, and claw-like; adjustable to fit virtually any human hand.
• Learn how pneumatic and hydraulic systems are used in industrial robots such as automobile components.
• Suggested Age: 8 Years and Up
• Educational Focus: Science, Circuits and Robots
• Includes: Instruction Guide
• Battery: No Battery Used

Rating details & item highlights

• BUILD, CODE, PLAY & LEARN: Construct a robotic reptile pal that responds to your gestures, changes colors, and automatically fires and retracts its tongue!
• INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING: The expertly designed 15-inch-long model includes articulated eyes, torso, and leg joints to simulate realistic movements.
• FULLY EQUIPPED FOR UNPLUGGED CODING LESSONS: The robot utilizes a color sensor, infrared sensor, and RGB LEDs that allow kids to use physical colored action cards to program the robot to move and react in different ways; no screens, devices, or software required!
• THREE UNIQUE PLAY MODES: In Coding Mode, use the action cards to program your pet to carry out a series of movements; in Wild Mode, your chameleon will camouflage and change its color to match its surroundings; in Pet Mode, this one-of-a-kind robotic reptile reacts to your touch!
• AUTHENTIC LEARNING WITH COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE: The 48-page manual guides kids through assembly (ages 8+ with help from an adult; 12+ for independent play), encourages exploration of robotic components, and teaches about how nature can inspire, improve, and solve engineering design problems.
• Dimensions (Overall): 11 Inches (H) x 10 Inches (W) x 4.7 Inches (D)
• Weight: 1.7 Pounds
• Suggested Age: 8 Years and Up
• Features: Multiple Modes of Play, Lights Up
• Educational Focus: Circuits and Robots
• Includes: Instruction Manual

Rating details & item highlights

• length of play
  5 out of 5
• quality
  4.5 out of 5
• value
  4.5 out of 5
• broad age appeal
  3 out of 5

• BUILD YOUR OWN ROBOTIC FLOWER: Construct a beautiful, colorful mechanical flower with ruby red petals from over 100 durable pieces and use the included clips to fix them to a vase or flower pot!
• POWERED BY THE SUN: The kit includes a solar panel that generates energy to make the petals spin, creating a mesmerizing optical illusion effect – no batteries required! Attach the solar panel to a window with the included suction cup or directly onto the stem of your flower.
• INTERCHANGEABLE BUILDING SYSTEM: Mix and match petals from other SolarFlower sets to create new and unique flowers.
• AUTHENTIC SCIENCE LEARNING: Explore mechanical systems like motors and planetary gears and discover how solar cells generate electricity.
• A GIFT FOR ALL AGES: Assembly is a relaxing, fun activity enjoyed by children and adults alike, and the finished product becomes a striking decorative piece!
• Dimensions (Overall): 11 Inches (H) x 7.3 Inches (W) x 3.5 Inches (D)
• Suggested Age: 8 Years and Up
• CPSC Choking Hazard Warnings: Choking_hazard_small_parts
• Educational Focus: Physics
• Includes: Activity Guide
• Battery: No Battery Used

Rating details & item highlights

• value
  4.6 out of 5
• broad age appeal
  4.5 out of 5
• length of play
  4.4 out of 5
• ease of use
  4.4 out of 5

• Send 2 shuttles flying with a launch pad
• Build and paint a spinning model solar system
• Learn about life on the International Space Station
• Discover fun facts about our planetary neighbors
• Earn a Future Astronaut certificate
• Comes with 2 illustrated instruction guides
• Dimensions (Overall): 3.4 Inches (H) x 7.5 Inches (W) x 11 Inches (D)
• Weight: 1.31 Pounds
• Suggested Age: 5 Years and Up
• CPSC Choking Hazard Warnings: Choking_hazard_small_parts
• Educational Focus: Astronomy, Creative Thinking
• Includes: Accessory Pieces

Rating details & item highlights

• ease of use
  4.1 out of 5
• broad age appeal
  3.4 out of 5
• length of play
  3.4 out of 5
• value
  3.1 out of 5

• Action circuitry electronic experiment set
• Build kinetic sculptures, spinning robots, and exciting toys that launch and levitate objects
• Make a floating ball, light tunnel, wire trap, spinning robot, rocket launcher and balance balls
• Learn the principles behind electricity, circuitry and engineering
• Each experiment requires 2 AA batteries (12 total, not included)
• STEM science learning activity
• Suggested Age: 8 Years and Up
• CPSC Choking Hazard Warnings: Choking_hazard_small_parts
• Educational Focus: Science
• Includes: Launcher, Rocket, Wires, Ball
• Battery: 12 AA Alkaline, Required, Not Included