Who said adults can get into robotics? For some reason, there’s a misconception surrounding robotics. People feel that in order to get into them, you either need to be a kid that starts as a part-time thing to complement his or her studies, or, you’re a professional that does it as part of their career.
Is that how you feel? There are plenty of robot kits for adults as there are numerous of robotics kits for beginners!
Actually, that mentality is highly incorrect in my opinion. By the way, you can jump right into some adult robot kits.
Robotics is not like most of the technological fields popular today. There’s a reason why it’s recommended for kids as young as age six, as it is a fun way for children to get a solid foundation into STEM. But, as an adult you can get a jump-start and get into the fun part of learning robotics much faster!
Let’s talk a bit more about this.
Why Should Adults Get into Robotics?
There’s quite a benefits of learning robotics as an adult. If you’ve not yet jumped on the robotics hype train, well these reasons may be able to persuade you to the other side.
Reason 1: It Keeps You Up to Date
A major flaw in the past generation is that they didn’t keep up with the development of modern technology. For example, the internet was deemed unnecessary by the past generation. However, it has become a vital part of our lives today. And, when their kids are using the internet, browsing social media, playing online game, that past generation feels left out because they didn’t partake in these technologies. However, when you’re participating in robotics, you’re keeping up with the new technologies being introduced into the industry each day. And, as a result, you’ll be able to stand right beside the next generation!
Reason 2: Bragging Rights
How many people do you know that can make a fully functional robot? None, right? Well, learning about robotics can give you some serious bragging rights too. It doesn’t matter whether you’re flexing your creations to your friends while watching a game of baseball or being arrogant about how you know coding in Arduino. You’ll be the smartest guy in the room!
Reason 3: It Could Turn into a Business
Robotics is one of those things that a lot of people do it just as a hobby. But, one day, they realize that they’re actually pretty good and can make money off of their product as well. There are a lot of sponsorships and funding opportunities available for individuals with innovative ideas as well. So, a few years into robotics as a hobby, you could actually make a career out of it as well!
How Can Adults Get into Robotics?
Besides the obvious robot kits for adults, the next thing you’ll need to get into robotics, is equipment. Going out and buying everything separately is an option. But, since you’re new and don’t exactly know what materials you need, it’s best that you resort to robot kits that are made for individuals just like yourselves that include everything in the box.
Basically, a lot of robotics companies have created what we call robotics kits for adults. These kits contain all the basic equipment necessary for anyone, regardless of their age group or level of expertise, to get into robotics. And, as you can guess from the title, that’s the main theme of this article – to introduce all of your newbies to the best robotic kits you can buy.
So, without further ado, let’s get to it!
Makeblock’s Ultimate Robot Kit
First up on our list, is Makeblock’s Robotic Kit. The reason why its on the top is because it’s the type of kit that’s simple, yet at the same time, sophisticated, making it ideal for amateurs.
You can make over 10 different robots with this one kit. The best part about the Makeblock is that these robots are not just ones that can be made using the instruction manual. You can also let your imagination run wild and come up with anything you want!
There’s no soldering or anything weird like that.
The kit does contain wiring, but its pretty straightforward and any beginner will be able to understand it all pretty easily. Moreover, there’s also wireless capabilities in this kit. You can use your smartphone to control various aspects of this kit, and once you come with a functioning robot, you can control it through your smartphone as well.
There’s not much included in this kit in terms of coding. But, if you want to get your hands slightly dirty, there’s an option to use a program called Scratch Programming. Scratch Programming is a primarily graphic-based tool which is used to assist children who don’t have programming skills. But, if you’re someone who hasn’t yet dove into the vast dimensions of coding, then Scratch Programming is the perfect way to start.
A few Makeblock & Yahboom adult robot kit options we found on Amazon
Bioloid STEM Standard Kit
The Bioloid Standard Kit is meant to follow a simple academic-course like approach to robotics. This kit contains about 21 weeks’ worth of tutorials that can used to construct several different robots. The best part about the Bioloid kit is that it’s sort of multipurpose; meaning that it can be used as a robotics kit for both youngsters as well as adults.
The kit will teach you a lot of the fundamentals of robotics and engineering and also about how to operate different types of gears and motors. The kit comes with a manual for over 16 different robots, including 3 much simpler robots but just like the Makeblock, you can experiment around and make anything you deem appropriate! And, similar to Makeblock, Bioloid also doesn’t use too many complex wiring or engineering techniques.
A couple of Bioloid STEM robotic adult kit options we found on Amazon
Level 1
Level 2
Lynxmotion Phoenix 3DOF Hexapod
Ever wanted to make your own robot spider? Well then, Lynxmotion is just what you’re looking.
Hexapod spiders were a thing long before Lyxmotion, but the specialty of this particular device is the way it’s built.
It has multiple limbs that give it Degree of Freedom, meaning that the robot can move in any direction you’d want it to!
The kit does come with a lot of the hardware included, along with the wiring and servos too. The robotics kit and every material included is made of lightweight but extremely durable aluminum.
So, don’t worry about abusing this kit a little, it can take quite a beating.
When it comes to programming, there’s not much to be concerned about because the Lynxmotion takes care of it all. Basically, the kit is pre-programmed to work with a PS2 remote, TTL Serial Control, or a Xbee radio controller. Your spider bot kit will be able to perform all basic functions with the help of these controllers.
A few adult spider robot kit options we found in Amazon
Arduino
Arduino
Raspberry Pi
Official Arduino Robot Kit
This is one of the coolest, yet the most compact adult robotic kit on our list. The Arduino Robot Kit basically breaks the barriers of all that is possible with a small Arduino chip.
This mini kit is actually a small computer built into a chip. It comes with an LCD screen, an Arduino IDE and a USB Cable. In terms of components, the kit includes buttons, sensors, potentiometers, a digital compass, a speaker, a card reader and along with all of that, there’s space for extension as well.
The Arduino Robotics Kit is a great tool to start robotics as a hobby. It gives you the fundamentals as you tinker around with the control board and once you start become more of an expert at what you’re doing, you can move on over to the motor board and start dealing with things a lot more complex.
A few Arduino adult robot kits available on Amazon
SunFounder’s Remote Control Crawling Quadruped Robot Model
This kit is a lot similar to the Lynxmotion spider robot we mentioned above, but in terms of functionality, it’s much simpler.
Developed by SunFounder, the kit functions on Arduino, so you can probably guess it’s capabilities when it comes to customization. With this kit, you’re not only learning the rope of Arduino, you’re also going to work with servos and learn a lot about wireless modules. The kit comes with a small remote control that contains a tiny joystick, similar to what you’ll see on a PS4 controller.
SunFounder has made some pretty descriptive user manuals to help all the novices that use their kit. You shouldn’t have too many problems with their instructions as they’re pretty detailed. The manual teaches you to the code to some common robotics projects so that you have a place to start off. Moreover, the technical support for this kit is also completely free. So, if you do ever need some technical help from the manufacturers, that will completely free.
Apart from the kit itself, some may contain wooden plates along with other parts, such as screws, attachable modules, a nanoboard, servos etc.
A few of the SunFounder robotic kits for beginners in Amazon
Arduino
This is a basic robotics kit for any young or old adult beginner.
Arduino
Here’s another great robotic kit for any adult. One rule: Have Fun!
Raspberry Pi
The best beginner robotics kit as it is both fun and familiar!
