What makes a good robotic toy, and are they educational?
Ask three different people to define ‘robot’, and you may get three completely different answers. That’s because our images and understanding of robots vary from Star Wars' R2D2 to the giant arm coming out of the Space Shuttle's bay. The same is true of robotic toys; they range from gimmicky pop culture replicas to truly marvelous robotic toys and development systems, like Rokenbok machines and LEGO Mindstorms. Leaving the gimmicks aside, good robotic toys can be sorted into two categories:
- Programmable robots for older children and adults.
- Remote control robots for younger children.
Both categories can be highly educational.
Obviously, programmable robots are great educational tools for older children. Inexpensive sensors, precise stepping motors, and easy to use programming languages have made today’s generation of programmable toy robots fun, functional, and dynamic creative products. But, even the brightest four-year-old is not going to be ready to program his toy robot.
Robotic Toys for Younger Children
Robotic toys for younger children need to be interactive (controlled directly by the child), tough, and highly functional. When properly designed, this kind of toy can improve hand-eye coordination and three dimensional spatial awareness, and teach any number of mechanical concepts. And, high quality interactive toy robots are fun!
Rokenbok interactive machines go a step further. Our unique ROK Star control system allows a child to control any number of Rokenbok robotic toys from a single controller, moving control from robot to robot at will. Furthermore, any number of children can play together at the same time, each selecting and controlling any machine they want from their ROK Star controller.
Rokenbok ROK Star machines are tough, precise, real working equipment. They do fun jobs in the world of Rokenbok construction. There’s a Fork Lift, Dump Truck, Monorail, even a working Street Sweeper and more. Rokenbok’s robots inspire children to build; a bridge to drive across, a custom trailer to be towed, a loading dock where truck and monorail exchange cargo, a factory that receives, sorts, stores, and dispenses. Together, Rokenbok’s toy robotics and interactive construction form an unparalleled creative environment of learning and fun for children as young as three years of age, and will capture the imagination of older children and adults, too.