In front of the abundance of learning stuff for kids and young adults, we take a look around to select smashing robotics kits and present them to you in a concise overview. Every release keeps you engaged and lets you learn and build experimental robots.

In this article, we explore the features and design of the Makeblock’s mBot Ranger kit. The mBot Ranger kit is engineered for quick and easy use in STEM Educational programs. The price of the kit is $149.99 and available starting with April 15 at the Makeblock store.

Makeblock is already known for a wide range of construction platforms Arduino compatible and robotics kits with mechanical parts, electronic modules, and software. The mBot Ranger is the latest release of the STEM series, and it’s an improvement of the mBot Educational Robot Kit for kids.

Key Specifications

The mBot Ranger primary audiences are the kids and young adults who’re trying to build mobile robots for an affordable price. All of them loves to build mobile robots with an Arduino microcontroller and control them wirelessly with a tablet or a smartphone.

• On Design: mBot Ranger is a three-in-one kit that offers the ability to create a robot tank, three-wheeled racing car, and a self-balance car using a set of components and the same brain. The robot tank can handle a variety of terrain, the three-wheeled car can run and spins fast while the self-balance robot is capable of driving straight or standing still and leans at an angle when making turns.
• On Hardware: Like many of the Makeblock kits, mBot Ranger is a platform compatible with the Arduino Mega 2560 board. It doesn’t use the Arduino Mega 2560 board as it is. The kit is controlled by a custom Me Auriga mainboard developed based on open-source Arduino Mega 2560. In this way, the platform features five on-board sensors and allows the user to add ten more extensions for more functions.In addition to the parts included in the box, the Makeblock platform is fully compatible with about 400 more parts that allow the user to develop more ideas and projects starting from mBot Ranger.
• On Software: The user has two different options to control the kit. One option is to use a Window/Mac PC or laptop and the mBlock software developed by Makeblock. This software use blocks to add commands and the drag-and-drop gestures to build programs.
  The second option is the MakeblockHD application. This application controls the robot wirelessly from an iPad or tablet.

Even More Robotics Kits

Here are more articles with references to 41 robotics kits we’ve managed to collect so far.

• Spartan Robot Kit
• 30 Under $100: 4WD Programmable Robot Kits for Hobbyists
• 10 Cheapest wheeled robotics kits for kids. Other options than Lego Mindstorms.

Last But Not Least

We are regularly looking for the most innovative robotics kits for kids and adults as well. If you build one of them, please contact us at office@intorobotics.com — we would like to support you on Into Robotics.