The Crafty Robot Smartibot Kit

Think of a robot and you will probably think of a human like metal character with bolts and antennas sticking out from it, well the Smartibot from Crafty Robot turns things on its head by allowing kids and adults to create their very own cardboard A.I. enabled robot. The Smartibot kit is powered by your smartphone via the Smartibot app, which is available on iOS and Android, it is also programmable with visual blocks editor and JavaScript, with the Espruino platform. It arrives with everything you need to get building, including cardboard parts to build two other robots a Teabot, who can actually bring you drinks and snacks on its little flatbed things and Unicorn which cannot bring you drinks but it is a fricken unicorn, what more do you want.

Your smartphone can be attached to the robot and when used with the A.I. is can be used to chase things like your pets, husband or other robots you have knocking about. The cardboard pieces that come in the kit can be re-used time and time again or get inventive by creating your own out of bits you find in the recycling bin, building bricks like Lego. If you want inspiration check out the Projects section on Thingiverse for ideas, there are even 3D printing designs that can be downloaded. The robot will need four AA batteries for power which aren’t included, and it is recommended getting a decent set of rechargeable to keep the fun going, it is also advised that children under 14 are supervised with the robot (to avoid world domination) and it should be kept away from very young children. RRP £55

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Smartipresence + Fighting Robot Expansion Pack

Along with the starter kit we received the Smartipresence and Fighting Robot Expansion Pack, with all the parts you need to convert the Smartibot onto a Smartipresence telepresence robot or a fighting robot with a flipper (a must have for anyone who remembers Robot Wars). The Smartipresence is a robot body that attaches to your phone, this will interact with video calls and has the ability to move around for themselves giving the person on the phone a physical (although cardboard) body. The person on the screen can move forwards and backwards, turn and look up and down, it comes with 10 hours of calls using the Smartipresence system, with additional 10-hour blocks costing £5 each. It’s a bit of a novelty but during lockdown it is the closest we can get to some people and the kids love it. The BattleBot transforms the cute Smartibot into a badass fighting robot with a powerful flipper that can turn opponent’s upside down, stickers are included in the kit to personalise the fighting bot including shark’s eyes, teeth and hazard warning markings. Get two Smartibots together and battle it out, or simply go on a rampage of destruction around the house. RRP £25

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