It is basically everywhere. So no wonder more people are becoming intrigued with the technology behind it.
The technology behind artificial intelligence, robotics, and more smart machinery can be quite confusing at a first glance.
And you might be wondering, how on earth do you get introduced to that technology? How do you learn how to use that technology? Where do you even start?
Getting started in robotics might seem like an overwhelming ordeal. Don’t panic!
To help you or someone you know on the journey to becoming a fantastic robotics engineer we’ve selected some amazing robot kits perfect for beginners.
These robotic kits should help you learn the basics of programming and coding.
What Is Robotic Programming?
When someone refers to programming in the context of robotics, they are referring to the process of how to control how the robot interacts.
Programming is designing a process or a computer program to run specific tasks. In terms of programming robots, you would be designing software to make the robots move, have goals, or interact in the environment it is in.
Now that you are familiar with what programming is, let’s move on to the products!
The Snap Circuits Mechanical Coding Robot is a robot designed for beginners. This robot is a mission-based robot. It is a great robot for young learners aged ten and over.
You are in charge of building the robot yourself and coding it. Due to this element, it teaches you the basics of coding and robotics.
This robot is perfect for those who want their children to learn without the computer, as to code this robot it does not require the use of a computer or an app on the phone.
Instead, you control this robot by using the coding wheel. You are able to install different buttons on this coding wheel, making your robot lift, kick, and throw.
This robot kit runs on triple A batteries, which you will need to purchase separately.
This robot kit is designed to aid children in their brain development.
This robot helps refine their motor skills. This is due to the fact that they are learning to build this robot using small precise movements.
This robot kit also helps to develop their hand-eye coordination skills. The kit helps to do this by having them interact with pieces needed to make this robot.
As with all great robot kits, it helps to encourage their problem-solving skills. This robot kit encourages them to think logically and be able to reason.
The last thing this robot kit teaches is how to follow instructions. By following the guide that comes with this robot kit they learn to follow directions and learn new skills.
This OSOYOO Robot Car starter kit is the perfect entry-level robot kit for teens and adults. You can control this robot through an app on your phone. This robot car can be controlled through WIFI.
So using the app you are able to fully move the robot car.
Having it connected to WIFI will allow this robot to be manually controlled, you can utilize the line tracking feature, and obstacle avoidance can be used.
There is also APP control through Bluetooth. Through the app, you can drive the car.
The app initiates real-world driving as there is a steering wheel and gears. This robot car can also be controlled by an IR remote.
This remote allows you to do basic movements like turning left and right.
There are multiple working modes with this robot car that you can program. The first is following an object.
By using the follow and object mode you are able to program the robot car to follow an object.
There is also the obstacle avoidance mode that you can program to teach the robot to avoid obstacles. The robot car is able to work out the distance between itself and an object using the ultrasonic sensor.
Another fantastic feature of this robot car is the ability to program it so that it moves along a track.
You use the tracking sensors to create a route for the robot car to move along. This robot car is an Arduino-controlled robot smart car.
This robot car is fairly affordable compared to other robot cars.
This Robot is definitely a step up in price but also in quality. The RoboMaster S1 allows users to develop an in-depth knowledge of maths, science, and programming.
If your friends also have this robot you are able to battle with them.
There are multiple battle modes for you to enjoy. You could race the robots, you could go into conquest mode and go into teams, and there is the option to melee.
There are so many possibilities when it comes to this robot kit. There are up to 46 customizable components. You can also add customized accessories to this robot.
This robot uses Scratch and Python programming. This is a great way to get introduced into programming robots as many robots use Python programming.
So this allows you to take your abilities to a new level and has you continually developing. The software is easy to use, so younger children would be able to learn the basics.
There isn’t an age requirement for this robot, but we do not recommend children under ten use this robot due to all the parts that come with it.
When you use this robot, you are gaining hands-on experience in robotic allowing you to develop new skills. This is a great STEM learning tool. It is not your usual toy, it is so much more.
As mentioned, this is a very expensive robot so those who are willing to splash the cash would enjoy this.
This next robot is another one for the big spender. This robot is full of possibilities.
The robot is responsive to touch, light, color, obstacles, and sound. With this robot kit, you can program the robot to turn, drive, draw and erase, play music, and light up.
This robot kit is all about learning which is why it is a great kit for beginners as there are different learning levels available.
If you are a beginner, you can start with graphical coding, then advancing to hybrid coding. Once you have done all of this, it is followed by full-text coding.
To start coding you can use the free app that comes with this robot.
Through this app, you can control some activities, play with the robot, and explore. This robot comes with a themed accessory bundle. It comes with a ‘coding at sea’ mat which is for activities.
This robot is perfect for getting younger children interested in STEM-based activities.
You are able to create your own code and see how the robot will react to it. This robot is great for children aged 4 and above.
However, those children who are under ten years old will need to have adult supervision and support when playing with this robot.
The design of this robot is family-friendly and children are extremely excited when they see what the robot can do.
This robot is on the expensive side, so it might not be suitable for those with a tight budget.
This next robotic starter kit by SunFounder is on the more affordable side. This starter kit is perfect for all ages, ranging from kids to adults.
This is a robot Sloth, great for those who want a family-friendly design.
This robot has visual language programming, making it easy to change the value of the servos, letting the Sloth robot do multiple actions.
Visual language programming means you can learn to code faster. With this robot sloth, you are also able to learn how to code for Arduino.
If you have multiple robots, you can program them to play with each other. This means you could program the robots to have robot battles, race, or even kick a ball together.
This robot also has an obstacle avoidance feature. The way this works it the ultrasonic eyes are able to detect obstacles that need to be avoided.
We would recommend this robot for children aged 10 and above.
Those who are younger might struggle with the robot independently. This robot needs 9-volt batteries to work.
The robot itself is easy to assemble. This is considered to be an educational toy, to inspire people to be interested in STEM.
This option is for my dinosaur enthusiast. A great way to make people engaged with your robot is for the design to be interesting.
The Roboloq Q-Dino robot kit definitely understood this. This is a robot that has been designed to engage children and make them more interested in STEM.
It is a fantastic option for those wanting to start their journey in programming robots especially those who wish to learn to program on Scratch and Arduino.
As mentioned before, the design of this robot is a dinosaur.
However, what’s great about this robot is it has a two-in-one design. Instead of building this robot as a dinosaur, you could decide to build it as a crocodile!
If you also purchase Roboloq’s accessories, children are able to customize this robot.
There are multiple functions that are available to use when it comes to this robot dinosaur.
There are multiple programming options in terms of how advanced the person learning programming is.
Beginners are able to learn drag and drop coding. If you are a mid-level coder Scratch graphical programming is available.
With this, you are able to design more interesting games and have your characters come to life. Once you have mastered this skill, you can switch to Arduino for high-level programming languages.
With this, the robot dinosaur can perform actions and execute instructions set by you.
This robot is cheaper than the big-spender options we provided. This is definitely a more affordable option but still high quality.
The ELEGOO UNO R3 is a smart robot car kit for beginners.
This robot car is an education kit made for children to get hands-on experience with STEM projects.
This robot car has the ability for a camera to be connected to it. This just adds another level to robotics for those that want to learn.
The kit itself is compatible with Arduino programming software. This is a great option for those who want to advance their programming skills on Arduino.
This smart car comes with an easy-to-follow tutorial so beginners can get the hang of building this robot car. To use this robot it comes with an app for your phone.
On this mobile app, you are able to control the car freely as long as both are connected to the internet.
There is also a first-person view (FPV) with this robot. This is enabled through the smart robot having a camera. This also works perfectly as long as the robot car is connected to the internet.
As with most smart robots, there is also the obstacle avoidance feature designed to protect your robot from damage.
The last amazing feature is the ability of this robot car to follow your runway through line tracking.
This is a robot smart car designed with children in mind so we would recommend this product for children who are ten years old and above.
This is due to all the pieces that come with the robot. Children should also be supervised when using this robot as does require them to use another device like a phone.
The next robot starter kit is the first of the robot kits by Makeblock we are showing in this list.
This is another robot starter kit that is on the expensive side, so is perfect for those willing to splash the cash.
This robot kit is the ultimate robot kit as it has more than 160 mechanical parts and modules.
This robot kit helps you to learn the mechanical structures, programming skills, and electronic modules easily.
This robot kit is compatible with both Raspberry Pi and Arduino. You can also wirelessly control the robot with smart devices through the use of Bluetooth.
This is a 10-in-1 robot kit! There are 10 different designs you could make when building this robot.
This robot could be a camera dolly, a catapult arm, a 3D capture A, a 3D capture B, a robotic arm tank, a robotic bartender, a robotic arm, a self-balancing robot, a rolling tank, or a detecting robot.
There are so many options meaning you won’t get bored! You could also work from the creations they guided you and create your own design for this robot.
This isn’t the most affordable option, however, it is one of the more creative options.
If you are someone who is able to afford a more expensive robot and are committed to developing your programming skills this might be the one for you.
This robot is marketed towards children. If you do purchase this for a kid we would recommend they be at least ten years old or older.
This is because the robot comes with many different parts. Children who are on the younger side of the recommended age might need adult support when using this robot.
This robot is slightly more unique than the ones we’ve already included on this list as it is a solar-powered robot.
This robot would be a great way to introduce someone to robotics as it is not very complicated. Also doesn’t it kind of remind you of Disney’s WALL-E?
This robot is great for those wishing for more creativity as it can be built into 12 different types of robots. This is a great option for those who get bored easily.
What is great about this robot is depending on the style you make it can move on land or water. You could also challenge your child to be more creative by building their own robot design.
There are different levels of difficulty with this robot that can be altered depending on who is using the robot.
There is an entry-level for younger children or those new to robotics. Or you could manipulate the levels so it is more advanced for those who are older.
With this robot being solar powered, there is no need for batteries. It is also promoting using sustainable energy resources, to young children.
This robot starter kit is extremely affordable, so you don’t need to break the bank to introduce your children to programming robots or green technology.
LEGO is a brand that is known for promoting creativity through building objects.
So it is no surprise that this brand is also encouraging creativity through building robots. This is a robot starter kit for those who are aged ten and older.
When purchasing the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor it comes with a Robot Inventor app which includes more than 50 activities to bring your robot to life.
There are so many different designs you could choose from when building your robot. You could make your robot into a tough guardian who can fire missiles and punch away obstacles.
This robot could be a helper, who wants to please and play the drums. There is also the option to make this the robot that can do any task.
You could make an advanced quadruped that can walk and avoid obstacles. Or it could be a sports fanatic, a robot that loves shooting hoops and playing just about any sport.
This robot can be programmed on a computer or a phone. The robot also has Bluetooth. Some people have built a robot that was able to solve a Rubik’s cube!
This is a great robot for beginners however it is quite expensive so you definitely need to be committed to the robot programming life.
This is actually Amazon’s choice for programmable robotic kits suitable for beginners. This is a robotic starter kit that is in the middle in terms of affordability.
It is not a budget-friendly option but it is not a big-spender option like the ones we’ve already listed.
With this robotics kit, you will be learning to use Blockly coding to program your robot.
With Blockly coding, you are able to program your robot to navigate obstacles, control light and sound effects, pick up objects, and add personality to your robot.
What is a robot without personality? Blockly also offers new coding challenges, so you can test the skills that you have learned.
Whilst there are many actions that you can code with Blockly, this robot can also be programmed to have custom actions.
So you can create entirely new custom actions with the pose, record, and play function.
When building this robot there are no tools required. This robot also comes with 3D 360 degrees animated building instructions. So these instructions will walk you through each step.
This robot kit comes with 387 snap-together parts, it comes with one infrared sensor, one speaker, two LEDs, and 5 motion robotic servo motors.
To control this robot, it also comes with a free app, compatible with most devices.
This is a great robot kit to get children excited about science, technology, engineering, and maths! They are able to learn these features whilst playing.
This robot was designed to make learning fun. This robot kit is recommended for children aged eight and over.
This is due to the multiple small parts of this kit that might be dangerous for younger children to handle.
The safety information of this robot describes that choking is a safety issue for younger children if they attempt to eat the smaller parts.
However, for those children who are on the younger side of the recommended age, we would suggest having adult supervision when coding this robot as it requires them to be on another device.
This is a great family-friendly robot option for children to play with.
We have another LEGO option for all of our LEGO enthusiasts. LEGO is fantastic at creating building blocks for all to show their creativity so it is not a shock that they would feature twice in this list.
Similar to the other LEGO option in this list, this robot kit is not a cheap option. This definitely fits in with what we would call a big-spender option.
This robot kit was designed to introduce children to the world of coding. The robot kit was created with the idea of being able to educate children about science, technology, engineering, and maths.
This robot toolbox kit is perfect for children aged seven to twelve.
Although we are pretty sure that adults would love playing with this robot kit as well. Who doesn’t enjoy building with LEGO?
This robot toolbox includes 847 LEGO pieces so that kids can build the robot and then rebuild it into one of the five multifunctional models.
You are able to make Vernie the Robot, Frankie the Cat, an Autobuilder, the Guitar4000, and the Multi-Tooled Rover 4 with this kit.
Children are able to code this robot to dance, play guitar, interact with the Autobuilder, foster Frankie the cat, or explore a new discovery with the Multi-Tooled Rover 4.
This robot can do it all. To use this robot kit to its full potential, a table or mobile phone is required for the coding process.
The app is free and on it, they are able to code behaviors into what they build. This robot kit also needs 6 triple A batteries for it to work.
Even though we listed another LEGO robot kit in this list, it is worth noting that the kits are not compatible with each other.
This is a really easy kit for children to use as it is hassle-free. We do recommend supervising younger children when using this kit as they will need to use a phone or tablet.
Our second to last robot option in this list is by XiaoR Geek. This robot by XiaoR Geek is a great option for those looking for a robot that looks tough and indestructible.
This is a fantastic option for those who would like to have a robot but dislikes how noisy robots can be.
The XiaoR Geek Smart Robot Tank is a robot that does not produce as much noise as other robot models might.
This is a great option for parents who are easily annoyed by their kids' noisy toys!
Although the XiaoR Geek Smart Robot Tank is quieter they haven’t deduced from the style of the robot to achieve a quieter robot.
In fact, the XiaoR Geek Smart Robot Tank is sleek and simple looking in terms of its design. The platform base of this robot is made from aluminum alloy.
This makes the robot really durable. The tracks of this robot are made from engineering plastic, which is great for elasticity and ensures good grip.
This robot has high-speed motors so it moves smoothly and swiftly.
As mentioned before, this is a great option for those who want a tougher and indestructible-looking model. If you have children who are particularly fond of military-style toys, this might be the robot for them.
The XiaoR Geek Smart Robot Tank is compatible with most controllers like Raspberry Pi, UNO R3, and Jetson Nano.
Those who purchase this robot are able to add sensors, servos, and turntables.
This is a fantastic option for those who enjoy robotics as a hobby, those who like to participate in competitions, or for educational purposes.
We personally think this would be a great option for adults to purchase as well as it being suitable for children. This is because of all the customizations you can make to this robot.
Although, if you do purchase this robot for a kid we would recommend having an adult to support them. This is an affordable option for a robot, it’s not cheap but it is not too expensive.
The last programmable robot kit for beginners we have on this list is by 4M. The 4M Table Top Robot is an extremely affordable option for those wishing to start their robotics journey.
With this robot you do not have to break the bank!
The design of the 4M Table Top Robot is unique. Actually, it is a little bit strange but would be perfect for those who are insect enthusiasts.
The robot sort of looks like an ant or a spider. It definitely looks like a bug. This robot had us fooled as it is a crab!
The 4M Table Top Robot smart crab was designed to introduce people to science, technology, engineering, and maths.
It makes those who use this smart crab aware of mechanical and engineering concepts through its entertaining scientific kit.
What is great about the 4M Table Top Robot smart crab is that when it moves and comes towards an edge, it does not fall off.
The 4M Table Top Robot smart crab is easy to assemble which means that children can have a go at building it independently.
The 4M Table Top Robot smart crab is recommended for children aged nine and over. You will need a small cross-head screwdriver and one double-A battery.
This is a great robotics starter kit for children because it is not expensive and is fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Should I Look Out For When Buying A Robotic Starter Kit?
Well, this is dependent on what your needs are. For example, if you are buying for a child then the kit will need to be simple and easy to use.
If you are buying this for an adult, there need to be higher progress levels when it comes to coding, for example having the robot use software like Python or Arduino.
However, as a general rule, you’ll want to look out for the price of the robot, how many parts the robot starter kit comes with, the software used for programming the robot, how difficult it is to use the robot, the power supply, and how much time it takes.
These are all features you should consider depending on your personal needs.
A tip is to look at the reviews if you are unsure about a robot starter kit you have come across.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of our list looking at 15 perfectly programmable robot kits for beginners. Robots are such a great way to increase your creativity and knowledge of the technology that is all around the world.
We hope we have helped you in your journey to find the best programmable robot kit for you.
Hi, my name is Elena Jones, and my full-time job is a teacher. Through teaching, I have discovered that children learn in many different ways, and have seen the positive impact both STEM and Montessori toys have on children.
Through this site I hope to educate parents and adults about these toys, providing them with useful information on how they can be used, and provide some in depth reviews of different toys to consider too.
