Get
a grip.
We
review a lot of things; some amazing, some not so. Many of the things
we review have been recognised with various awards and accolades, but
not really any of the toys and games we've taken a look at... until
today. After having been declared the Educational Toy of the Year
2016, the Robotic Arm from Vex Robotics – part of Hexbug – has a
lot to live up to. Lets take a look, shall we.
First
up, this is not just a robotic arm for kids to play with and learn
how to master – it is in fact a construction kit similar in style
to LEGO Technic. It features more than 350 individual parts, some of
which are large plastic plates, others are teeny tiny plastic pins
and pegs. Following the included instructions, you built the arm from
the ground up, pinning together the parts just as you would most
Technic sets. If you're accustomed to LEGO's system, this will feel
all very familiar.
To
complete it took us about two hours, with the base section and main
gears taking up well over half of that time. To be honest the
building process wasn't overly enjoyable, as most of the parts are
black and following the instructions can at times be slightly
confusing. Plus, we discovered a mistake in the instructions whereby
a pin is inserted on one page, only for it to disappear from the
diagrams on the next, with something else taking that place.
Annoying, but easily fixable once you spot it.
The
upper arm and claw are far more enjoyable to put together, with fewer
fiddly little pieces and more bigger bits and plenty of progress.
Once completed the arm stands about 18 inches tall and looks very
impressive.
To
control it you twist two large yellow knobs near to the base which
both control the angle of the main arm. You then twist the smaller
wheel at the back of the arm to open and close the claw, which can
open as wide as five inches. Turning the arm through 360 degrees on
the round base is achieved by simply pushing it to and fro, but with
the additional purchase of the Vex Motor Kit, all these actions can
be motorised.
Still,
even without the electronics, this is heaps of fun. It takes a bit of
practice to learn how to quickly raise and lower the arm correctly,
but soon you'll be picking things up and moving them to other places.
Although the box says the kit is suitable for ages eight and up, we
had a three year old playing with it, and very much enjoying himself,
in no time at all (although, to be fair, the construction element
would have stumped him).
We
can really see why this won the Educational Toy of the Year Award, as
everything from build with the many gears and cogs working together,
to the final product and the tactile controls, screams a toy perfect
for encouraging STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) in
kids. But as well as that, this is a new construction toy system that
works really well, and seems to have bags of potential. Even with
this one set there are two other alternative builds; a helicopter and
a scorpion. We're excited to see what other things could be made from
these parts, and especially how using the motor kit could be somehow
used to programme the arm via a computer. Code your own robot arm,
kids?
An
interesting if slightly frustrating build, resulting a fun open-ended
toy with lots of future potential. Check it out.
£37.90