Modular Robotics STEM

Throughout the course of ISTE 2014, we heard over and over how important it is to expose children to technology during school. However, while this was a common theme, a large majority of the products that were on display were incredibly complex. This was especially true in the case of robotics. Now don’t get us wrong, an awful lot of the robotics on display were aimed at older children – think middle and high school aged – but there were several cases of incredibly complex products aimed at K-5. That said, one company really stood out for its simple approach to robotics: Modular Robotics. Modular Robotics has two main lines of products that are both incredibly easy to understand.

Moss is Modular Robotics’ newest product. Moss is, hence the name of the company, a modular robotics kit. There are 19 different modules with a wide variety of functions and sensors. These include things like wheels, lights, proximity sensors, and brightness sensors among others. Moss, being the more complex of Modular Robotics’ two main offerings, is aimed at ages 8+.

MOSS is a block-based robot construction system from Modular Robotics. Each block is a different part of a robot and combining those blocks in different ways yields a ginormous variety of robots. Think of them as building blocks for the 21st century; designed to help kids invent and build their own robotic creations. The goal of MOSS is to impart intuitive understanding of complex systems and design thinking. Within the MOSS system kids begin to build a basic understanding of mechanical construction, basic circuitry, kinematic motion, robotics, software integration and programming.¹

Cubelets, Modular Robotics’ simpler option, is aimed at children aged 4 and up. Cubelets are much easier to put together that Moss, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting. This robotics kit is much more uniform than Moss as ever component is the same general cube size. There are 16 different Cubelets with different functions, including distance sensors, temperature sensors, lights and many more.

Cubelets are magnetic blocks for children age 4+ that can be snapped together to make an endless variety of robots with no programming and no wires. You can build robots that drive around on a tabletop, respond to light, sound, and temperature with surprisingly lifelike behavior. Instead of programming that behavior, you snap the Cubelets together and watch the behavior emerge like a flock of birds or a swarm of bees.²

We had a chance to drop by the Modular Robotics booth at ISTE. We learned a bit more about the company, and how to use the robots: