Makeblock mBot Ranger: 3-in-1 Robotics Kit for Building Robots from Scratch

I chose this kit for my robotics classes for 10-13 year-olds because kids thought the Ranger was pretty cool and the kit can be programmed in both Arduino C and Scratch. The graphical programming environment is very easy for kids to grasp and charge ahead in. The ability to interact with the robot using the LIVE mode permits running your program and debugging it on the actual hardware. This seems to be very unique to the Makeblock robots and I found it highly appealing and useful for instruction. The kits are pretty easy to assemble though my younger students needed adult assistance to get their kit assembled correctly to work. This is especially important with the Nervous Bird two-wheeled balancer. Overall, I think these kits are a good value for the money and offer great learning experiences for children and are pretty easy to use to teach robotics.

The case that holds the battery should have been designed with a cover. The batteries can easily pop out. However, I took some advice from Red Green, and thought of the handy mans duct tap. Then I realized that it’s probably conductive. So I reached out for the Electrical Engineers handy man’s black electrical tape. The batteries now stay in. Remember folks, if the gender of your choice doesn’t find you handsome, at least they will find you handy. Keep your stick on the ice.

One more thing, if the bags of screws, nuts and lock nuts were labeled with part numbers, that would be so helpful. Fortunately I had a sharpie to help keep track.

Would still highly recommend the kit. Just be prepared to help your child with assembly.

mBlock did a great job supporting this product. I was having a problem connecting. I didn't see the usb connection at the back and had miss understood where to connect. A simple fix once they noticed my problem. We did a team viewer and were able to get me up an running!! Thank You bBlock!!!

Fantastic!!! It's so much fun to build and program, absolutely worth the price.

it is a suitable birthday gift for around 10 years old boy. This robot works easy and controls well by little boy’s voice. My son spend a lot of time play with it. I am happy to have this for him. It is a cool toy robot, it worth the money.

I bought the robot as a birthday gift for my 8 yo cousin. He was amazed. To build it, the kid needed help, otherwise he could damage or lose the screws, so make sure to be with the child. After that, the app in mode history was fun and he learned basics in programming. You could improve the app.

Gave this to my son for his 13th birthday. He loved putting it together. It was easy for him to work with the app that came with it. He ended up taking the treads off the wheels because it bogged the robot down so badly that it didn't move at all. He's not tried too much of the programming, just used the preset programs in the app, but summer isn't over yet!
I would definitely recommend this for any kid that like to build using Lego's and such. It is also good for the computer players because of the programming component. I suggest having some basic tools near by in case you need them. For example my son broke the hex tool that came with it and had to find one of the screwdriver heads with the hex size he needed to make it work. Nothing major! My son was able to build it mostly on his own with only a little guidance here and there so it isn't that difficult. I would say any 9+ child could build and operate on their own. Any younger will need a little parent help but can mostly do it themselves I would think.

packaged very well, arrived a little early, just like photo, very good quality and a great price

My son took a robotics class in middle school, and almost every day he came home excited talking about it. It seemed wise to promote this passion, so we decided to get him something that he can fiddle with at home as well.
We looked at some of thr Lego robotic kits, but they are incredibly expensive. This was much more in our price range and it seems versatile and expandable. We're very happy so far.

Grandson loved it