We've added six new tools from Makeblock to our store and they're ready to help educators enhance their STEM teaching. Among the new options are a couple of add-on packs for students to invent and code with the mBot-S Robot and mBot Ranger in different ways, the remote control for a new way of controlling their robots, and two new full kits—the Dragon Knight Kit and the Inventor Electronic Kit! They are each great for experimenting with new inventions and empowering kids to try new forms of coding!
The Makeblock team is great to work with and different mBot versions have been on our store for a while. Since breaking into the EdTech world, the Makeblock team has expanded their offerings to include a large number of engineerable robots, early education kits, and also a programmable drone. With all they now offer, the Makeblock items are great for teaching core 21st century skills, like coding, engineering, problem solving, and more! Here’s a look at the different Makeblock items we currently have on our store.
mBot-S
The mBot-S is the latest version of the mBot Robot with some similarities and differences compared to the previous models. First and foremost, it's still engineerable and comes with all components and instructions students need to build it. The main difference is that this version features an LED interface, which students can use to display messages. After programming various cues, their messages display on the LED screen, giving added interaction to the mBot-S.
Gizmos Add-On Pack
Students can take engineering further with the Gizmos Add-On Pack and build eight new projects—six for the mBot-S and two for the mBot Ranger. Among these many possibilities are a car that detects obstacles, spinning servo arms, a traffic sensing gate, and more! The projects they could make using the Gizmos help kids gain greater control of the robot's motions. With parts like cables, brackets, screws, servos, adapters, and more, the Gizmos Add-On Pack helps make STEM learning engaging and enjoyable for kids!
Perception Gizmos Add-On Pack
The Perception Gizmos Add-On Pack contains instructions and components for five new projects with the mBot-S or Ranger. With its sound or temperature sensor, kids could build a weather station, energy-saving fan, and more! It contains more than the Gizmos Add-On Pack, including an LED matrix, a sound sensor, a temperature sensor, and humidity sensor. Kids can construct robots with environmental capabilities in mind and the projects they build can display temperature and humidity readings. Or, they could design a fan that turns on and off when it senses an object nearby.
Inventor Electronic Kit
With the Inventor Electronic Kit, students can use sensors and actuators to build programmable projects. It allows coding in the Scratch or Ardublock languages and it's compatible with iOS or Android devices. Kids can use its modular, electronic platform for quick prototyping and every sensor and actuator is color-coded to simplify wiring. Each module also comes with its own Arduino library for quick programming and Scratch and Ardublock are each great for helping kids learn to interact with hardware. In addition to motion, sound, grayscale, and ultrasonic sensors, the Inventor Electronic Kit even contains a micro servo for adding more power to programmable projects!
Dragon Knight Kit
Consisting of over 50 mechanical parts, students can assemble their Dragon Knight Kit in about two hours. It's modeled off the Dragon Knights from Star Wars and programmable in the Arduino IDE or mBlock. After students assemble it, they can control it with their Bluetooth remote control. They can also use its different modes, like obstacle avoidance, to help it navigate different environments. It could also move forward and backwards, do push-ups, and more! Plus, it comes with a touch sensor, allowing the Dragon Knight to be activated with touch!
Bluetooth Controller V1
This wireless Bluetooth Controller can be used to control any of Makeblock's Bluetooth-enabled products. It can work with the mBot Ranger, mBot Ultimate 2.0, Airblock, Codey Rocky, and more! It has an intuitive interface and easy-to-use buttons, which are all programmable and customizable, extending programming opportunities for students. After pairing the remote control with a Makeblock robot, children can download the Bluetooth Controller extension file and then they’ll be able to control all of its actions remotely!
Makeblock’s robots and accessories keep getting better and they’re great for helping children take the next step in their STEM education. Whether it’s engineering, coding, or something else you have in mind, one of their robots, kits, or add-on packs should do the trick in increasing student engagement and excitement in the classroom. To explore everything we offer from Makeblock, visit our store. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook for all our latest offerings.