The 6 Best Robot Kits of 2023

1

Best Bot for Most Kids

Lego Boost Creative Toolbox

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Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 7-12 | Programmable: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

Very approachable

Lots of structured activities

Tons of fun

REASONS TO AVOID

Limited to Lego for further add-ons

The app can be glitchy

If you want to get your kids started with robotics, the Lego Boost Creative Toolbox is an exceptional kit. This kit spans a range of project levels, starting slow and simple and gradually building up in complexity. The Boost Creative Toolbox has a block-based graphical coding interface that is intuitive and easy to use, and the kit comes with clear and detailed assembly instructions for each of the five main models. Previous electronics knowledge is not necessary to use this kit. All of these features mean that this kit is very approachable, even for complete beginners, allowing your child to grow in confidence as a young roboticist advancing through more levels. This kit does an excellent job of balancing and blending structured play with space for creative expression. There are plenty of opportunities to expand with additional Lego products once you've exhausted the 60+ activities included in this set. Some of the included activities include building a robot sheriff with a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher and creating an automated factory that makes miniature Lego creations. Troubleshooting is easy with this kit. Overall, we recommend the Lego Boost Creative Toolbox above any other option on the market today for kids getting started with robotics.

While we love this kit for beginners, the design and structured activities of the Boost Creative Toolbox are geared toward younger kids and thus may be less appealing to older middle schoolers. Over time you may find your child outgrowing the hardware on the Boost as there are fewer options for expanding with additional actuators or motors than non-Lego-based kits. Still, this remains one of our favorite robot kits for kids, as it provides tons of fun and an excellent introduction to mechanical and software design without being overly complex.

2

A Fantastic Non-Lego Option

Makeblock mBot

$80 at Amazon

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 8+ | Programmable: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

Lots of expansion potential

Easy to use structured learning through games

Durable frame

REASONS TO AVOID

Limited configurations without purchasing more parts

Struggles on non-smooth floors

If Lego-based robotics aren't your thing, look at the Makeblock mBot as an introductory robotics kit. This kit gives you direct exposure to commonplace components in industrial robots and is still user-friendly in a way that is approachable for a total novice. The step-by-step 3D instructions are easy to follow, with the app providing gamified lessons once you have the mBot built. It also comes pre-programmed with three different operating modes, allowing you to hit the ground running when you finish building it.

However, the mBot is a little less user-friendly and requires more dexterity to assemble than Legos or other snap-together plastic parts because it uses standard metric machine screws. Some of the more complex aspects of the assembly will likely necessitate the assistance of an adult. We wish this set included a pair of needle-nose pliers. Although you can cover quite a lot of ground with just its stock configuration, it's a bit more challenging to customize your mBot without purchasing additional components. We think the mBot is an excellent choice if your kids are already doing Lego robotics at school and want a change of pace or if you're seeking a kit that can supply a much broader base of understanding in mechatronics — provided you don't mind a slightly steeper learning curve and purchasing some add-on components.

3

A Pint-Sized Programming Experience

Sphero Mini

$55 at Amazon

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 8+ | Programmable: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

Easy and intuitive to use

Engaging and cute

Great for beginners

REASONS TO AVOID

Easy to lose

Won't survive being stepped on

If you find the advanced robot kits for kids intimidating or if you want to introduce programming at the elementary school level, the Sphero Mini is our go-to. It doesn't require much technical knowledge to start and offers an excellent progression in terms of skills. You can begin by controlling it remotely and then build up to writing programs to direct its actions and incorporate sensor input, such as having it stop when it hits a wall or say "ouch" when it rolls off a drop. Sphero packs a surprising amount of sensors into a very portable package and gives you a ton of programming power at a reasonably low price.

Keeping your kid interested and engaged with the Sphero Mini may take some creativity on your part. There's not a lot included with the package, only some miniature bowling pins, and traffic cones, and there isn't a clear progression of skills laid out. This gives you ample opportunity to challenge your kids to think creatively, such as creating both a maze out of cardboard and writing a program that lets the Sphero Mini solve it or perhaps using the canvas feature to paint a picture with your robot. There are plenty of activities like these available online — from both Sphero and other sources — but be aware that you will have to facilitate challenges like these to keep interest levels up. The Sphero Mini can take some reasonably rough-and-tumble play, but it probably won't survive a huge drop or getting stepped on — two very reasonable concerns given its size. However, if you are shopping on a budget, this is a fantastic robot kit for kids to get them excited about computer science and coding.

4

A Quick Budget Option

4M Tin Can Robot

$17 at Amazon

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 8+ | Programmable: No

REASONS TO BUY

Very affordable

Simple to use

REASONS TO AVOID

Limited learning potential

Won't hold attention for long

If you're looking for an inexpensive and approachable way to introduce the concept of hands-on robotics to your kids, the 4M Tin Can Robot is a great place to start. A repurposed soda can is used for the robot's body, which can be a good foundation to introduce concepts related to recycling in addition to some basic mechanical and electrical lessons. It's fairly easy to put together, only takes an hour or two to assemble, and offers kids a chance to express their creativity by decorating the can.

Unfortunately, once the building stops, so does the use of this robot. There is not much you can do with it once fully put together. The only way to control its motion is by moving it forward in a straight line. Aside from that, the only other interactive aspect is changing the pose of the eyes and arms. All other activities will have to come from your child's playful imagination. This robot kit lets you foster an interest in robotics and test the water with a low-cost option before investing in a more expensive product. However, we have a feeling its appeal will fade out sooner rather than later.

5

Great for Little Gamers

Nintendo Labo Variety Kit

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Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 6+ | Programmable: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

Exceptionally clear instructions

Guided progressive activities

Integrates with some of your favorite video games

REASONS TO AVOID

Cardboard isn't the most durable construction material

Larger projects can be tedious to assemble

If you struggle to peel your child away from their Nintendo Switch, then the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit might be the perfect option. Nintendo created a surprisingly fun and interactive learning environment that charts out a natural progression of activities in increasing complexity, going so far as even to have built-in assessments to determine if you have been paying attention. There are five different projects, each with clear and easy directions to follow and ideas on how to expand and customize them to continue learning and playing once you build them. Nintendo does a great job of walking you through how everything works using interactive dialogue with your virtual Labo development team. On top of all that, it also has a graphical drag-and-drop interface to introduce programming and algorithmic thinking.

While overall we found the Nintendo Labo to be quite impressive, it's not without its flaws. The innovative cardboard-based construction is cool, but it lacks the durability of plastic or metal robots. One spilled glass of juice could effectively ruin most of the parts. The tab and slot construction will also wear out over time if you frequently assemble and disassemble your cardboard creations, and the potential for expansion is limited. Nintendo doesn't currently make any hardware expansions, and you have no way of integrating any third-party motors or sensors. Despite that, the Nintendo Labo is a solid option to get kids that are intrigued by video games interested in hands-on projects, engineering design, and programming. And if you already have a Switch system, the price is relatively low.

6

Best for Advanced Users

Makeblock Ultimate 2.0

$340 at Amazon

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 14+ | Programmable: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

Very versatile

Covers a wide range of curriculum areas

Overall impressive creations

REASONS TO AVOID

Technically complex

Expensive

If you're seeking a robot kit for kids that goes well beyond programming Legos, the Makeblock Ultimate 2.0 is the kit for you. This kit has 550+ pieces and has directions for ten different robots, including a robot tank with a gripper arm, a catapult, a walking ant, and even a camera dolly. It comes with a variety of different sensors and can be programmed with both graphical blocks or text-based coding in Python, and is compatible with both Arduino and Raspberry Pi. This kit is versatile enough that you could work for hundreds of hours on projects without duplicating anything. You also have plenty of potential to expand beyond what's included in the kit with compatible add-on components from Makeblock or third-party parts off the shelf.

Beginners may find this kit to be quite complex and intimidating. There are tons of small parts that require a great deal of skill to assemble. The documentation isn't the clearest, so troubleshooting can be challenging compared to other models. It also requires considerable space and time to assemble projects with this, so it's probably not a kit that you want to take out for only an hour or two on a rainy afternoon. However, it's an absolutely fantastic option for kids who already have a more advanced level of understanding of electromechanical systems or if you are willing to invest hours in assisting and guiding them. True beginners are better off starting with a simpler kit. This kit can familiarize you with some of the same components used in college-level robotics classes as you progress from working with kits to simply building your own robots, and can give you a good starting point for years to come.

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 8+ | Programmable: Yes

The UBTech Jimu Buzzbot & Muttbot kit is another robotics kit that uses proprietary plastic bricks as its main construction method. Although the pin and hole components might resemble some of the other kits, the tab and slots that attach to the servos on the Jimu set them apart from the rest. It's a fairly easy kit to put together as long as you're careful to match up the servo orientation and their ID code to what's shown in the 3D models in the app. Once you have either the Buzzbot or the Muttbot assembled, you can use the graphical programming interface in the Jimu app to create your own routines. There is a library of community-created designs available through the app, so you also don't have to worry about being limited to these two creations. You're also able to create your own design from scratch.

Unfortunately, the building method seems to be less friendly for little hands that aren't as dexterous. It comes with just enough servos to build the Buzzbot and the Muttbot at the same time. We also feel the lack of included sensors dampens the programming activities you can do. The JST connectors used to connect the various servos to the main hub seem somewhat delicate, and if they are pulled out carelessly, we could imagine them becoming damaged. All in all, this pair of robots are adorable, and the servos grant them impressive amounts of motion, but we feel there are better-made bots in the same price range with a much more comprehensive learning environment.

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 12+ | Programmable: Yes

The Elegoo Uno Project Smart Car Kit V 3.0 is a solid 4-wheel drive robot car with most of the basic sensors you'd want, lots of potential for further expansions, and the ability to drive over rougher terrain than other models — it can easily handle most carpeted floors. It's programmable in both Elegoo's mobile app and the Arduino development environment and is also compatible with a wide variety of components from third-party suppliers. The Smart Robot Car V3.0 comes programmed right out of the box for obstacle avoidance, line-following, and remote control — either from the IR remote control or the mobile app.

Unfortunately, we didn't find the documentation to be the best, and the included assembly instructions are somewhat difficult to follow. It also takes a bit more dexterity to put the Smart Robot Car together. It's helpful if you have your own tools (like needle-nose pliers or tweezers) because none are included in the kit. The programming interface through the app is decently intuitive, but there isn't a set series of tutorials or skill progressions for you to easily figure things out on your own. For those with previous Arduino experience who need a robotic base platform for further experimentation of their own projects, this could be a good option, but other 'bots might better serve beginners.

Manufacturer Suggested Age Range: 8+ | Programmable: No

The Sillbird STEM 12-in-1 is a very inexpensive but limited kit that is powered by the sun. Its electrical system consists of a single solar panel and a motor that can be configured up to — you guessed it — 12 different ways. These include rolling, walking, and even swimming creations, making this kit a great option for young scientists and engineers that are just starting, particularly if they have an interest in renewable energy or green technology.

Although the Sillbird STEM 12-in-1 is a great option to pique a child's interest, you might find that it has a hard time maintaining that interest. It doesn't matter which 12 forms you build; you can't control this robot at all. If there is sufficient solar energy, it is limited to solely driving forward in a straight line. The assembly process — particularly of the gearbox — can also be very hard, especially for kids of the age that this would most appeal to. It may take an adult more time to cut all of the pieces out of their frames and clean them up than a kid will actually spend playing with this product. It isn't the most intuitive to use these parts for your own creations, and its inability to run without sufficient sunlight can really put a damper on creative play. It can be a low-cost starting point; just don't be too surprised if it fails to inspire continued play or learning.

Why You Should Trust Us

David Wise heads up our expert team when it comes to reviewing and testing educational robotics kits. Graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering in 2014 from MIT, David has well over a decade of robotics and hands-on STEM education experience. He worked closely with the MIT Edgerton Center while enrolled as a mentor for their engineering design workshop. There he developed a curriculum through their engineering outreach program and brought it to local schools in the Boston area. More recently, he became one of the co-founders and directors of the Tahoe STEM Camp, teaching hundreds of students topics ranging from remotely operated underwater vehicles to light following spider robots. He is also a coach for the local FIRST Robotics Lego League and the FIRST Tech Challenge team.

We spent dozens of hours assembling and disassembling each of these robot kits, as well as consulting with both experts and novices to get a feel for how intuitive and easy to use each product is. We also compared the different software development environments side-by-side, searching for a programming experience that was simple and reliable with a clear progression of lessons and activities. Of course, we also consulted with some budding young scientists and engineers to see how fun each kit actually was and how long they captured a kid's interest — plus, how well they stood up to those kids dropping, playing, and generally abusing all of these bots.

Analysis and Test Results

It can be difficult to directly compare some of these kits side-by-side since they cover such different topics and different students learn in different ways. Our review breaks down the salient points, pros, and cons of each model, how they compare, and what they are best at.

Ease of Use

The first thing we considered with each kit was the amount of work it took to construct and set up the programming environment. There can sometimes be a fine line between challenging students and frustrating them to the breaking point. We awarded the most points to products that had clear and easy-to-follow instructions, as well as prompting you what to do with the robot once you finished. We also factored in the amount of dexterity required to assemble each robot — and the corresponding likelihood of parental assistance.

The Sphero Mini is one of the easiest overall robots to use because it requires no assembly. It's small and compact, with the initial setup limited to downloading the app and charging it if necessary. In less than 15 minutes, you're ready to write your first program, and the limited number of pieces makes cleanup a breeze. It's one of the few products that doesn't require significant chunks of time all at once, letting you squeeze in quick coding lessons throughout the day.

Since most kids are already familiar with Lego products, it's hard to beat their Boost Creative Toolbox when it comes to ease of assembly. The pieces snap or slide together with ease, even for little hands. The most difficult part of the process is usually making sure that you have the correct length cross axles, but you can remedy this by checking the different colors or the 1:1 scale image usually present in the instructions.

The Boost app is quick to install on most mobile devices and lets you get up and running right away, giving you a clear starting point and unlocking more levels and activities as you progress. However, we did find this app can be slower on certain devices, particularly off-brand tablets.

The programming interface for the Lego robot is reasonably intuitive, with graphical blocks that you drag and drop into position.

The Nintendo Labo is relatively easy to put together, but creasing some of the smaller tabs can require fine motor skills, so younger children might need some adult support. In terms of the companion video game, Nintendo's decades of experience with game design and in-game tutorials are readily apparent. It coaches you through the assembly process with detailed animations and explains to your budding engineer how each component works through conversations and quizzes with the in-game characters: Dr. Gerry Riggs, Plaise Allatyme, and Lerna Lotte. This trio coaches you through various activities with each Toy-Con and gives you ideas on how to further expand and customize your creations.

The Makeblock Ultimate, the Makeblock mBot, and the Elegoo Smart Robot Car are all a little more work to put together, especially the Ultimate. All of these products use standard nuts and bolts in their construction, and it's inherently more difficult to correctly thread them together and then tighten using a wrench and screwdriver compared to simple snap-together pieces. This added difficulty can be quite frustrating for kids. We found it very easy to mistakenly swap parts of the frame, and the minuscule screws used to affix shaft collars and gears into position are astonishingly small and easy to lose. We would expect all three of these kits to require some significant parental/guardian assistance for the vast majority of kids.

Content Topics Covered

Next, we compared the different curriculum topics for which each robot kit can serve as a starting point. Engineering Design has been included in the Next Gen Science Standards for every grade level from kindergarten to 12th grade. These standards, unfortunately, are often overlooked, so we placed the most value on kits that allow your kids to engage in creative problem solving and an iterative design process, in addition to covering the fundamentals of programming, electronics, and mechanical components.

The Lego Boost, the Makeblock Ultimate, and the mBot stand out for covering a wide range of topics. You have plenty of general mechanical design topics to look at, such as motors, gears, and forces, as well as electronics through ultrasonic, light, and touch sensors. All four of these kits have immersive programming environments that are easy to use, and all come with guided tutorials and challenges that allow you to come up with different solutions to a problem and optimize your answer — a fundamental tenet of the engineering design process. The Boost Creative Toolbox even comes with a playmat and corresponding challenges.

The Elegoo Smart Robot Car covers the same content topics as the four previously mentioned kits but doesn't offer a guided progression or engineering challenges, so you'll have to come up with these on your own. The UBTech Jimu Buzzbot hits many of those same content areas, but a major flaw we found compared to some of the other robots was its lack of sensors, precluding any discussions about the types of sensors while not enabling kids to create basic programs that could make their robot respond to outside stimuli. However, it does offer guided tutorials and lessons to work through and the opportunity for both graphical and text-based programming.

The Sphero Mini doesn't provide too much besides software development, but its tiny package is equipped with an impressive amount of sensors, providing you with plenty of challenges and lessons to work with if you're creative enough. There are also a handful of projects and challenges both from Sphero and the in-app community available — they just aren't as structured as some of the other robots.

The Nintendo Labo lets you create your own programs on the Switch and introduces you to some sensors, but you're limited to the IR motion camera, accelerometers, and gyroscopes already present in the Joy-Cons. Although it has a good set of guided lessons and activities, we found it a little more difficult to actually create solutions or radically alter the various Toy-Cons compared to systems like Lego or Makeblock. Though customizing your creations is simple, creating something entirely new within the Nintendo Labo system isn't the easiest.

In terms of content areas, both the Sillbird 12-in-1 and the 4M Tin Can Robot are fairly limited. You don't have a chance to change the design and fundamental operation of these robots since you can't program or control them. However, the 4M Tin Can's repurposed body and the Sillbird 12-in-1's solar panel could lead to some conversations about recycling, renewable vs. nonrenewable resources, or green energy.

Versatility

In our minds, an important aspect of these products is that they continue to foster learning and creative play even after you finish putting it together. We liked the kits that offered lots of activities and suggestions for ways to use each robot beyond the included directions. We also appreciated those that were compatible with further expansions or add-ons, so you can keep growing your skills once you have maxed out with the included components.

We felt the products with the most potential for further expansion were the Makeblock Ultimate and the mBot. Both let you start by controlling each robot, then move on to graphical programming, and finally finish with text-based Arduino coding. There are tons of additional components available from Makeblock to add more sensors, motors, or even additional configurations of each of these robots. These products are also compatible with other Arduino systems, so you're not limited to products made by Makeblock. These are some of the very same components used by engineers when prototyping their designs, so these kits could easily serve as a starting point for many years of robotics education.

The Elegoo Smart Robot Car is a very similar robot kit for kids, as it's a solid foundation for getting started with Arduino coding. It's compatible with a wide array of third-party components that are fairly inexpensive.

However, we suspect you might tire of the Elegoo app and end up doing any code development directly in the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The Arduino IDE can have a steeper learning curve than graphical programming but can foster skills that would serve a young robotics engineer throughout their entire career.

The Lego Boost also has some potential for further expansion, but it is limited to Lego-compatible products. Directions are provided for combining this product with a handful of other kits, and you are always free to improvise and create with your own Lego sets.

We've generally found it's easier to develop your own designs and successfully execute them with the Lego kits than with the Makeblock Ultimate or the UBTech Jimu Buzzbot. The Jimu Buzzbot can also be combined with other products from UBTech, but the options are considerably more limited than Lego's offerings and aren't compatible with generic parts.

The same goes for the Nintendo Labo, as there are a few other Toy-Con kits available, but there aren't any third-party offerings, either.

Durability

The final thing we compared and scored between robotics kits is their durability. Many of these kits can be quite expensive, so you'll want to have some confidence that your investment will last. We based points on the different materials used by each kit, the availability of replacement parts, susceptibility to water damage, and the likelihood of damage if they were dropped or stepped on.

The Lego Boost is quite durable, with its injection-molded bricks taking considerable amounts of force to break. The cables connecting the motors and sensors to the main power bricks seem quite sturdy, and it's only some of the elastic bands that we would be worried about breaking or wearing out over time. Your creation might fall apart if dropped, but it shouldn't be irreparably damaged, and most people are painfully aware of what happens if you step on a Lego brick — Spoiler Alert: the Lego brick wins.

Both the Makeblock Ultimate and the mBot have rigid metal frames that can take a beating and are unlikely to be damaged by dropping or stepping on them. However, there are plenty of tiny fasteners that are very easy to lose or wear out. Luckily, these are common fasteners, and many can be picked up for mere pennies at your local hardware store or online. The Elegoo Smart Robot Car is similar but substitutes a metal frame for a heavy-duty plastic one that seems almost as burly.

The Sillbird 12-in-1 is the only kit that actually sustained any damage during our testing. The plastic boat hull cracked when we were folding it, and one of the plastic pegs chipped when we were removing the flashing with a flush cutter.

Conclusion

We sincerely hope that you have found this review helpful and informative when finding a new robot kit for your kids or students. These products can be great tools to introduce complex and technical topics in a fun way through hands-on experimentation and creative play. Robotics kits are a great way to enrich education for any grade level and a fun way to foster interest in STEM topics, particularly if they aren't exposed to these topics in school.