Animation and Robotics

Parents often ask me about getting their kids Lego robotics equipment and what the differences are between all the products out there.  So I’ve decided to put together a quick breakdown of the types of Lego products and some pros and cons about each line.

1. Regular Lego:  these are the bricks we all grew up with.  Of course, now they come in kits costing 10 – 800$ and come ready to have your child assemble replicas of star wars space craft, architecturally correct models of famous buildings, and can be populated by an never ending line of mini-figures.  There are no batteries, motors or programmable bricks involved.

2.  Lego Technic:  these are the “holey beams” sets.  For very young kids (under 7), these are rather hard to work with because the bricks and connections they make are very strong and rigid – therefore hard to get apart if you misassemble something or want to use it in another way. However, these are what you want when building robots or other movable designs.  They are light, strong, and allow for special connections, like having an axle fit through the holes so wheels can be put on and the axle can still turn.  Some of these kits come with motors and battery packs.  They do not come with programmable bricks.

3.  Lego Mindstorms – NXT and RCX:  The Lego Mindstorms kits come with lego technic pieces, motors, programmable bricks, instructions, and a CD rom to run the programming software on your computer.  These are the robotics kits.  They come in toy sets (make your own robot, usually with enough parts to make three different versions), and the educational sets, with come with lots of parts to make many different types of robots.  The NXT is the new system that you can buy off the shelf right now.  It is more functional than the RCX – you can upload any sound file you want for instance, and there are more sensors – but the RCX is more “buildable” in my opinion.  It has more sites for attaching lego pieces to it (NXT is more “smooth”), so I think its more fun/easier for kids to build with.  However, to purchase RCX bricks, you need to buy a used set, and then you need to be careful to ensure the set is complete and in good condition (programmable brick, motors, wires, sensors, instructions, CDrom, and all the other parts).  Another issue with RCX bricks in the operating system needed to use the programming software.  It needs to be the older Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems.  Make sure you have an older operating system available, or it just won’t run the software. Of course, you can buy a lot more RCX bricks, motors and pieces for the cost of new NXT, but over time, NXT will be what everyone builds with.  In fact, First Lego League, the leog robotics competition league, is all NXT now.  So if that is the direction you want your kid to move in, perhaps spending the money on NXT systems is what you have to do.  First Lego League is for kids 9-14, so if you have a year or two to go, then start with some cheap RCX.  Its just too frustrating to watch your kid play with the NXT set once, and put three hundred dollars worth of toy under their bed.

That’s my brief explanation of Lego kits.  I hope this helps and remember, no matter what you buy your kid, they’ll enjoy building with it.

Some of you asked me about recommending robotics and lego robotics gift
ideas for your kids, and I know I’m very late responding, but here are
some recommendations that will stay true throughout the year.  I apologize
for being late with this, but it took me  a while to find some ideas I
could really stand behind.

My number one recommendation for a lego product comes from a review in
Make magazine.  Its the Lego technic container truck 8052, retails for
around 70$.  Its not programmable, but  comes with a really cool linear
actuator and motor, battery pack, and can be used with all the other
technic sets.  Without programming, its not a robot in the pure sense, but
for building experience, a great set that can be added to, and will
encourage free building, all at a price I don’t choke over, I think its a
hit. I wish I could justify buying one for myself…

For reliable programmable robotics for kids, there really isn’t anything
comparable to the NXT and other lego programmable brick systems (older is
RCX, what I use).  Obviously, I like them, but they are expensive.  The
educational sets are considerably better than the NXT robot toy sets if
only because they allow for more different projects to be built, but they
are costly.  And don’t forget the cost of the software.  Make sure any kit
you get, new, used, educational, whatever, you must have the software to
program the brick.  I would put this as the number one question to anyone
selling you a set on Bricklink or Craigslist.  I’ve come accross people
selling sets who didn’t even know they were supposed to include the disk
with the robotics software.  You also need it to have at least two motors.
Newer NXT and technic sets will come with more of the nice rounded pieces.
Older RCX containing mindstorm sets will not have the rounded sets.  The
issue between the newer and older sets comes when getting instructions for
robotics builds.  NXT build sets are different enough that the
instructions will not work for RCX and vice versa.  A lot of the online
free directions are for the NXT.  Rather frustrating for me, but I will be
posting more and more RCX ones for all the old schoolers like me out
there.

As for non-lego stuff. I have a real soft spot in my heart for all sorts
of model building projects, and ones with motors and moving parts are my
favorites.  These are of course not true robots as they are not
programmable, but they are still good building experiences for kids.  Most
use the little motors I sent them all home with, which run about 4$ and
can be bought at any Radio Shack.  Then sets of plastic gears and little
robot models can be picked up at model shops like Boss Robot (College Ave,
Berkeley or www.bossrobot.com).  Sciplus.com also has lots of very
inexpensive 10-20$ range, but as one reviewer put it, these are “more
fragile than agile”.  Might be too frustrating for young builders, but if
they can see it as a building experience rather than a heavy duty toy they
can play with, they make for really fun model builds.

I generally like to have kids see real motors and start building models
because I don’t love the price tag Lego puts on their products and because
those are the toys I grew up with.  That being said, nothing beats Legos
for longevity and amazing robotics products.  Like I mentioned above, the
Technic sets have a whole lot of great motors, battery packs, gears and
actuators that make for great building without heading down the truly
pricey NXT road.

Ok, those are all my thoughts, and again, I realize this is late.  For
last minute models, I’d hit radio shack or boss robot and don’t buy
anything too expensive because its likely to break.  But the motors can be
used over again, and with some balsa wood and household recycling, hours
of fun can be had. Think “make your own spin art machine” or “how much fun
is a spinning popsicle stick that knocks over lego towers”.  Radio Shack
also sells really good extra strong double sided tape that works well in
household building projects.  It comes in strips, not rolls, and the
motors are called micro motors. Better than the stuff at the hardware
stores and rather useful to have around the house.

Happy Holidays to you all,

-Frances

Perhaps the coolest thing your kid will do this Winter is to make a robot rover track along a line.  The rovers do this using a light sensor that can tell the difference between the black line and the white mat. With some simple programming, the rover “knows” to follow the line.

Maybe the coolest thing will be learning to use the touch sensors.  These little gadgets can be programmed to cause an action either by being pushed in (think running into a wall)  or by being released (think firing a ping pong ball).  They can be used to launch the catapult or simply start and stop the car.

What will your kids think is the coolest?  Will it be the walking robots, the scampering bugs, the scooper or ping pong ball launcher?  The fastest rover or the drill car?  Robot wars will come in near the top for many of the kids.  For others it will be the first time they get the light to turn on as their house senses the rover bot approaching.

What’s cool for the parents?  Perhaps it’s knowing you are giving your kids a chance to build complicated machines, learn some basic programming, or spend their afternoons experiencing gear friction, motors, and light sensor technology hands on.  Perhaps it is just the hope that problem solving skills they learn will be used in all their non-lego robotics challenges, or that may spark their interest in engineering and design careers.

That’s the coolest part for me.

I can see some people coming to this site and wondering, where are the photos of all the happy kids taking her classes?  Why are there only feet or hands in the videos?  I admit, it seems a little odd, even to me.

It is mostly nerves.  I am too concerned about invading the privacy of my students to post pictures of them.  I know many of the parents would give their permission, but still I have hesitated.  I haven’t asked.  When I think about it, I know its a lost opportunity for my business, a squeamishness that perhaps I can’t afford, but I am running a little business, out of my home, to kids in my community.  I think the parents can ask their kids if they are having a good time or not, without me soliciting pictures to post. I guess I am relying on good will and personal referrals.

I’m sure some would find my choice overly cautious, perhaps ridiculous, but believe me, this is a rather self-interested choice on  my part.  I know that very soon I will have to insist my children be oh, so careful with their online presence.  I’m sure many a night will involve discussions of Facebook privacy, what exactly was meant in a text, and (hopefully not, but one must be prepared) consolations over a mean cyberspace attack or regretful posting by a former friend.

This is what I thought about when I chose not to put the happy faces and excited yips from my students online.  I thought about how close to their teens many of them are.  How quickly a few years go by.  How difficult it will be for me to say to my kids “but you were younger then, it was ok.  Do as I say, not as I did!”

So, for now, I refrain from the happy photo shoot and rely only on videos of the bots, with the occasional back of the head, hands or feet in the shot as the only proof my students were ever here.   To be honest, I’m pretty sure it will all be ok, with or without the pretty photo shoot with the kids.

Frances Donovan,

overly cautious parent and proprietor of Animation and Robotics.