Robot building kits are a fun and interactive way for children to learn about STEAM concepts and explore their creativity. These kits usually come with a variety of mechanical and electronic components, and children can use these parts to build their own robots or follow pre-designed forms.
Meet the mBot Ranger, a kit designed for children aged 10 who possess fundamental skills in robotics programming, offering a 3-in-1 building experience. The kit features three pre-designed forms: the Land Raider, Nervous Bird, and Dashing Raptor. In February 2018, the mBot Ranger was utilized by students from Portuguese and Bulgarian schools during an Antarctic data collection expedition, which was completed successfully.
mBot Ranger Review
Makeblock is a top-tier brand that specializes in DIY robotics and educational platforms designed for makers, STEM learners, and educators. Their building block is user-friendly electronic modules, and graphical programming software, making it a fun and effortless experience for anyone to build their dreams.
Moreover, the mBot Ranger offers children an opportunity to enjoy STEAM learning through building, controlling, and programming. It serves as an advanced version of the mBot, starting with entry-level robot programming, which enables children to advance their learning incrementally and enhance their problem-solving capabilities.
Ranger’s 3 Preset Forms
The mBot Ranger offers children the opportunity to construct it in three different forms – Land Raider, Nervous Bird, and Dashing Raptor. Children can program the mBot Ranger using mBlock 5 and Arduino C and control it using the Makeblock app. Compared to conventional single-form robot toys, the three-in-one robot kit provides children with increased building possibilities and playtime, allowing them to unleash their creativity.
Build, Play, and Code
The Ranger is a versatile robot kit that offers more than just remote-controlled tank vehicle capabilities. It supports graphical programming for interactive learning and is fully programmable. Assembling the robot takes just 45 minutes, and afterward, students can easily use the Makeblock App to control driving, line following, obstacle avoidance, posture detection, and more. The mBot Ranger provides an interactive learning and playing experience, and can even be extended to teach coding. The mBlock coding platform offers both block-based and Python coding, making it suitable for children with various levels of coding experience.
Moreover, mBot Ranger can support graphical programming and the main control board is based on Arduino Mega 2560, which means you can use Arduino C to learn Arduino programming. With a coding robot, children can build, play, and learn to code in a fun and engaging way. It’s a fantastic way to inspire children to take an interest in coding.
Six Types of Sensors
The mBot Ranger is equipped with Me Auriga mainboard and features six types of sensors, including the Light sensor, Temperature sensor, Sound sensor, Ultrasonic sensor, Line Follower sensor, and Gyroscope. This diverse array of sensors allows the Ranger to perform a wide range of functions, such as data collection, line following, and obstacle avoidance. Children can also utilize the Ranger to work on exciting projects, such as assisting with scientific research by traversing the Antarctic.
All-Terrain RC Robot Tank
The mBot Ranger is capable of traversing a range of surfaces, including floors, hillsides, sand, grass, and more. Whether it’s a muddy track or a challenging arena, the mBot Ranger can navigate any terrain with ease. Children will undoubtedly relish the opportunity to play and drive the robot both indoors and outdoors, unrestricted by the environment.
STEM Projects
The mainboard of the Ranger comes with 10 extension interfaces, which can be used to connect over 100 electronic modules, allowing for a diverse range of functions. By selecting an add-on pack and over 500 different mechanical and electronic parts available on the Maker’s Platform, allows children to develop more projects or ideas and explore STEM in an easy way.
Wrapping Up
After exploring the features and capabilities of the Makeblock mBot Ranger, it can be concluded that it is a highly versatile and customizable educational robot that offers an excellent platform for students to learn programming, electronics, and robotics in a fun and engaging way.
Overall, the Makeblock mBot Ranger is a valuable educational tool that can help inspire and engage students in the exciting fields of programming and robotics. Its user-friendly interface and versatile design make it an excellent choice for educators looking to introduce their students to the world of STEM.