After three successful and delivered Kickstarter Campaigns, CircuitMess Launches Kickstarter to Encourage Fans Age 7 and up to Create their own Autonomous Batmobile™
Zagreb, Croatia – October 5, 2021 – Today, CircuitMess announced its licensing deal with Warner Brothers and its Kickstarter campaign for the CircuitMess Batmobile™, designed to teach children seven and up about engineering and autonomous driving.
“CircuitMess is truly inspiring,” says Francois Simonetta, Vice President at Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA Agents. “Turning toys into elaborate STEM kits that teach both electronics and coding is a great way to encourage kids to learn STEM by doing what is most natural to them: playing. We are excited that the CircuitMess Batmobile™ is their next and greatest STEM kit so far.”
In their efforts to become the world’s most inspiring STEM toys brand, CircuitMess has developed numerous educational products that encourage kids and adults to create rather than just consume. This includes MAKERbuino – a DIY game console, MAKERphone – a DIY mobile phone, and STEM Box – a STEM projects subscription.
“We love the kits that we’ve been able to create for the crowdfunding community and want to continue to offer it to them first,” says Alber Gajšak, CEO of CircuitMess. “With three successful Kickstarters that have raised more than $850k in total, we have been able to get proven interest and traction for our special kits and deliver exciting projects to people all over the world.”
No previous experience or knowledge should be needed to become a true STEM Superhero. The kit is designed for anyone 7 and older with complete instructions.
The tasks include: learning how autonomous vehicles work, how to code a microcomputer, how computers track objects, and developing your own computer vision algorithm.
Since its start in 2017, CircuitMess has delivered more than 50.000 devices to customers all around the globe. Over the past 4 years in creating STEM kits, CircuitMess has put a focus on introducing these technologies in a fun, simple, easy-to-understand, and most importantly, hands-on way.
The CircuitMess Batmobile Kickstarter is available for pre-order now and will have a starting price of US $99. You can visit the Kickstarter page here. and the CircuitMess website to see all their other kits here.
LEGO Education ’s SPIKETM Prime is available on the market for more than one year by now. In our big test series, we presented in to you in detail. The Inventor 51515 which is the SPIKETM ’s home version, can also be bought by now. The software of both robots has reached a decent level. Earlier this year, we published our own e-book for the SPIKETM Prime Software that can be a helpful resource for everybody who still has questions about programming this robot. For people who like paperbacks more than digital e-books, we also sell it as a print-on-demand paperback on amazon.
At brickobotik, we nevertheless continue to work with the SPIKETM Prime. On the one hand, we use it in our workshops and teacher-trainings. On the other hand, we are also interested in the electro-technics of the SPIKETM Prime. Therefore, we give you a little insight in our „briokobotik craft corner“ and present a little project on which we currently work.
An adapter board for the ultrasonic sensor
Many of you probably noticed the two Torx screws on the back of the ultrasonic sensor in the SPIKETM Prime and the Mindstorms Inventor set which you can ‚t find on the other sensors. If you unscrew these two screws, you can remove the white ultrasonic sensor device so that only the black shell remains in your hand. Here, the cable of the LEGO Powered Up connector ends up in a female header. This 8-pin female header has a pitch of 1.27 mm which cannot be accessed easily with conventional Arduino cables. That is why we decided to develop an adapter that breaks out the 1.27 mm pitch to 2.54 mm which is the conventional dimension of the Arduino, perfboards, breadboards etc.
Technical details about the breakout board
There are six signals within the Power Functions 2.0 connection:
1x 3.3 V power supply 1x GND
2x digital in-/output (GPIO), which can also be used for UART (115200 Baud, 8N1) Please note: The GPIOs do not supply enough current to operate the LEDs directly! A transistor circuit is necessary to supply an LED from the 3.3 V rail.
2x PWM for the motors
Please note: The voltage of these signals is supplied directly by the SPIKE ’s battery! Aocording to our measurements it is between 8.4 V and 6.3 V.
Each GPIO signal is provided with a resistor in series that provides a minimal protection against wrong GPIO configurations. They can easily be bypassed with a solder bridge.
On the left and right side, the same signals are spread out. On one side, you find the two GPIOs together with the power rails and on the other side, you find the PWM signals with the power rails. The signal lines to the left and right do not only fan out to contacts of
2.54 mm pitch but also to contacts of 2.00 mm pitch for the Grove connector system.
The respective 3.3 V power supply lines are by default open solder bridges. In this way, two independent power supplies will not compete destructively if for example a Calliope mini or other microcontroller is used. The open solder bridges can be closed with a bit of solder if required.
New possibilities with the breakout board
With our breakout board, connecting and using other sensors and motors with the SPIKETM Prime becomes much easier. It also opens the possibility of connecting the SPIKETM to a microcontroller like the Calliope mini. But you should note one important constraint: projeots like these are primarily suitable for advanced users. The wiring as well as the programming needs experience with the electronics and the respective sensor protocols.
Technical details about the control
The Powered Up signals are directly controllable via the SPIKETM Prime app but only using Python projects and on one’s own account. There is no „UltrasonicBreakout“ Python module or something similar by LEGOO . Nevertheless, descriptions and instructions for the respective MicroPython classes and methods can be found in the internet. People with experience with other MicroPython devices, especially with operating the MioroPython REPL, can quickly familiarize with the necessary details.
Order your own adapter board!
At briokobotik, we are going to continue to work with the adapter board and test its conneotion to different sensors. But we would also like to give the possibility of experimenting with connections to the SPIKETM Prime to all other home constructors and electro-technios enthusiasts who like to try it themselves. So, if you are interested in this adapter board and would like to purchase it, just send us an email to [email protected]. We will collect all requests and if there are enough people interested, we will inform you via email about the possibility of preordering the adapter board.
You don ‚t want to tinker but you are interested in a certain sensor that could be conneoted to the SPIKETM Prime? Visit our website at www.briokobotik.de and leave a oomment or a message with your requests for future projects and we will try to take them into account.
Sebastian from Robots-Blog was able to do a short interview with Annelie Harz from Wandelbots. Learn in the interview what Wandelbots is and why programming might soon become obsolete.
Robots-Blog: Who are you and what is your job at Wandelbots?
Annelie: My name is Annelie and I work as a marketing manager at Wandelbots.
Robots Blog: Which robot from science, movies or TV is your favorite?
Annelie: Wall-E, actually. A little robot that does good things and is just adorable.
Robots Blog: What is Wandelbots and where does the name come from?
Annelie: The name describes the CHANGE (german: „Wandel“) of RoBOTics. Because that is exactly what we do. We enable everyone to handle robots, which today is only reserved for a small circle of experts. Our long-term company vision is: „Every robot in every company and every home runs on Wandelbots“. And that promises big change on a wide variety of levels – starting for us with industry.
Robots Blog: Who is your product aimed at and what do I need for it?
Annelie: Our product is currently aimed at customers from industry. Here, our software – Wandelbots Teaching – can help with programming various applications such as welding or gluing without having to write a line of code. It is designed to be so simple and intuitive that really anyone can work with it to teach a robot a desired result. This works through the interaction of an app and an input device, the TracePen. This takes the form of a large pen with which users can draw a desired path for the robot on the component. But we also work together with educational institutions. They are the ones who train the next generation of robot experts. And in the long term, we are convinced – and this is already part of our vision – that robots will also find their way into private life as little helpers.
Robots-Blog: What feature is particularly worth mentioning?/What can’t anyone else do?
Annelie: Our product works robot manufacturer independent. In robotics, each manufacturer has developed its own proprietary programming language over the years. This makes communication between humans and machines very difficult. We, on the other hand, want to create a tool that allows any human to work with any robot – completely independent of programming language and manufacturer. Robotics should be fun for the user of our product. Thanks to the high usability and the operation of our app via iPad, this is already possible today. And over the next time, application-specific editions will be added to our platform – currently, for example, we are working on an app version for robot welding.
Robots Blog: Do I still need to learn programming at all?
Annelie: No. As I just explained, with this so-called no-code technology, you don’t need to learn programming anymore. It is simple, intuitive and user-friendly, even for laymen. Of course, you always need to have some basic understanding of robotics, especially for safety reasons. You should never underestimate the dangers posed by robots, which is why our product always works according to the respective manufacturer-specific safety specifications.
Annelie: Of course, shortly after entering the market, we first want to make robotics in the industry, for example the automotive sector, more flexible and easier. To do this, we are gradually integrating the largest robot brands into our platform. We will certainly also integrate smaller robot brands that cover one or more niches. Or – even better – thanks to our Robot Integration Software Development Kit, robot manufacturers will soon be able to do it themselves.
Robots Blog: How much does your product cost?
Annelie: Our product is offered via a licensing model as a subscription, as is common in the Software as a Service business, or also classically for purchase. The current prices for the different editions can be found on our website (and you will certainly find more exciting content there)
Sebastian von Robots-Blog konnte ein kurzes Interview mit Annelie Harz von Wandelbots führen. Erfahrt im Interview was Wandelbots ist und warum demnächst vielleicht das Programmieren überflüssig wird.
Robots-Blog: Wer bist du und was ist deine Aufgabe bei Wandelbots?
Annelie: Mein Name ist Annelie und ich arbeite als Marketing Managerin bei Wandelbots.
Robots-Blog: Welcher Roboter aus Wissenschaft, Film oder Fernsehen ist dein Lieblingsroboter?
Annelie: Tatsächlich Wall-E. Ein kleiner Roboter, der Gutes tut und einfach nur liebenswert ist.
Robots-Blog: Was ist Wandelbots und woher kommt der Name?
Annelie: Der Name beschreibt den WANDEL der RoBOTik. Denn das ist genau das, was wir tun. Den Umgang mit Robotern, der heute nur einem kleinem Kreis von Experten vorbehalten ist, ermöglichen wir jedem. Unsere langfristige Firmenvision lautet: “Every robot in every company and every home runs on Wandelbots”. Und das verspricht einen großen Wandel in verschiedensten Ebenen – angefangen für uns bei der Industrie.
Robots-Blog: An wen richtet sich euer Produkt und was brauche ich dafür?
Annelie: Unser Produkt richtet sich derzeit an Kunden aus der Industrie. Hierbei kann unsere Software – Wandelbots Teaching – bei der Programmierung verschiedenster Applikationen wie z.B. Schweißen oder Kleben helfen ohne, dass man eine Zeile Code schreiben muss. Sie ist so einfach und intuitiv designed, dass wirklich jeder mit ihr arbeiten kann, um einem Roboter ein gewünschtes Ergebnis beizubringen. Dies funktioniert durch das Zusammenspiel einer App und eines Eingabegerätes, dem TracePen. Dieser hat die Form eines großen Stiftes, mit dem Nutzende dem Roboter am Bauteil beispielhaft einen gewünschten Pfad vorzeichnen können.Aber auch mit Bildungsträgern arbeiten wir zusammen. Sie sind es, die die nächste Generation von Roboterexperten ausbilden. Da darf unser Produkt natürlich nicht fehlen (Annelie grinst) Und langfristig sind wir – das steckt ja schon in unserer Vision – davon überzeugt, dass Roboter auch als kleine Helfer im Privatleben Einzug halten werden.
Robots-Blog: Welches Feature ist besonders erwähnenswert?/Was kann kein anderer?
Annelie: Unser Produkt arbeitet roboterhersteller-unabhängig. In der Robotik hat jeder Hersteller über die Jahre seine eigene proprietäre Programmiersprache entwickelt. Das macht die Kommunikation zwischen Mensch und Maschinen sehr schwierig. Wir wollen hingegen ein Tool schaffen, mit dem jeder Mensch mit jedem Roboter arbeiten kann – ganz unabhängig von Programmiersprache und Hersteller. Robotik soll dem Anwender unseres Produktes Spaß machen. Dank der hohen Usability und der Bedienung unserer App via iPad ist das heute schon möglich. Und über die nächste Zeit kommen applikationsspezifische Editionen in unsere Plattform – aktuell arbeiten wir beispielsweise an einer Appversion für das Roboterschweißen.
Robots-Blog: Muss ich dann überhaupt noch Programmieren lernen?
Annelie: Nein. Wie eben erklärt muss man mit dieser sogenannten No-Code Technologie nicht mehr programmieren lernen. Es ist einfach, intuitiv und nutzerfreundlich, selbst für Laien. Selbstverständlich muss man aber, vor allem aus Sicherheitsgründen, immer ein gewisses Grundverständnis über Robotik verfügen. Die Gefährdungen durch Roboter sollte man nie unterschätzen, deswegen arbeitet unser Produkt immer nach den jeweiligen herstellerspezifischen Sicherheitsvorgaben.
Robots-Blog: Welche Roboter werden unterstützt? Ich habe einen Rotrics DexArm und einen igus Robolink DP-5; kann ich diese auch verwenden?
Annelie: Wir wollen kurz nach dem Markteintritt natürlich erst einmal die Robotik in der Industrie, beispielsweise der Automobilbranche, flexibler und einfacher machen. Dafür integrieren wir die größten Robotermarken nach und nach in unsere Plattform. Kleinere Robotermarken, die eine oder mehrere Nischen abdecken, werden wir mit Sicherheit auch noch integrieren. Oder – noch besser – dank unseres Software Development Kits für die Roboterintegration können das Roboterhersteller demnächst sogar selbst.
Robots-Blog: Was kostet euer Produkt?
Annelie: Unser Produkt wird über ein Lizenzmodell als Subscription angeboten, wie es im Software as a Service Business üblich ist oder auch klassisch zum Kauf. Die aktuellen Preise für die unterschiedlichen Editionen könnt Ihr auf unserer Website finden (und dort bestimmt noch spannende weitere Inhalte finden)
Today I built the base model with a gripper and sent my feedback to the developers. It’s already really great product but there are always things to tweak or make better. Do not miss to support it on Kickstarter!
Rotrics DexArm Robotarm visiting its favourite website robots-blog.com. Having a robot arm is fun! Find the latest News on robots, drones, AI, robotic toys and gadgets at robots-blog.com
The all-in-one smart toy incorporates science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines with playtime, in a hands-on way.
Astoria, New York – (May 3, 2021) Keeping children entertained and engaged in today’s tech-driven world is now easier with GinoBot. The tool that implements a fun, hands-on experiencewith unlimited expansion potential for learning STEM disciplines, computational thinking, and digital literacy is launching on Kickstarter today.
GinoBot seamlessly blends playtime with advanced learning to sharpen a child’s mind for the future. From plug-and-play robot to high-end coding and electronics, the progression of skills with GinoBot is unlimited. Children ages 6+ can build simple or complex models with GinoBot’s scalable, and compatible design. It features KEIRO software for block-based programming, which is compatible with a PC (Windows, Linux, MAC OS) and smart devices (Google Play, Apple Store). GinoBot has Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, as well as a micro USB connector. It can also connect with 3rd party hardware like Arduino, Microbit and Raspberry Pi, among others.
Science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM toys are the future. GinoBot is a solution for children to learn 21st century skills that lets them playfully learn how to code, design, build, and rebuild models quickly, no matter their age or learning style.
“Children are our future and we believe they are all gifted with the power to perform astonishing technological feats,” said Costas Sisamos, founder and CEO of Engino. “As STEM learning principles become more prominent in our children’s curriculum, GinoBot is a great learning tool that will keep young minds hungry to explore, design and create enabling them to experience the limitless thrill of scientific discovery.”
GinoBot is a great way to invest in your child’s imagination and expand their creativity. To pre-order, visit pr.go2.fund/ginobot.
About Engino
Engino is a toy manufacturer that specializes in construction toys and smart educational toys, and have been at the vanguard of the STEM education movement for the past 15 years. A few years ago, Engino joined the robotics market and started developing programmable robots. These robots are supported with an extensive curriculum so children can learn the digital-side of thinking and how to do programming, coding, and more. For more information, visit https://www.engino.com/.
Das igus Low Cost Automation- Portfolio wird ab Herbst 2021 erstmalig um einen Cobot für Serviceaufgaben erweitert. Dank der elektronischen Komponenten im vollintegrierten ReBeL Wellgetriebe sind MRK-Fähigkeiten möglich. So eignet der ReBeL Roboter für:
industrielle und private Anwendungen als Cobot bzw. Serviceroboter
bis zu 2x leichter als andere Cobots
kein Schaltschrank; Steuerung im Fuß integriert
MRK-fähig
mobile Anwendungen
Hol- und Bringdienste
Pick & Place Aufgaben
Montagehilfe
Technische Daten ReBeL Roboter
Kinematik/ Bauform: Gelenkarmroboter
Anzahl der Achsen: 6
Reichweite: Gesamt 600 mm
Nennreichweite: 350 mm
Mögliches Einsatzgebiet: Servicerobotik
Winkelgeschwindigkeit: 90°/s
Endgeschwindigkeit TCP (Volllast): 250 mm/s
Dynamik mit 500 g Nutzlast (Piks/min): 10
Nutzlast inkl. Werkzeug: 2 kg
Wiederholgenauigkeit: +- 1 mm
Der neue ReBeL Roboter benötigt keinen Schaltschrank und ist kompatibel mit der igus Robot Control Steuerung. Ab Sofort können Sie Ihre individuelle Service-Robotik- Anwendung vorab programmieren und testen. Laden Sie dazu jetzt kostenlos die igus Robot Control Software runter. Die benutzerfreundliche Software ist ideal für Programmier-Einsteiger. Mit vorprogrammierten Projekten für verschiedene Kinematiken, wie z.B. den ReBeL, können Sie sofort loslegen!
Industrie- und Service- Roboter selber bauen
Auf Basis der ReBeL Getriebe lässt sich mithilfe von Verbindungselementen ein individueller Roboter konstruieren, dank der zusätzlichen elektronischen Komponenten auch als Cobot. Das ReBeL Getriebe kann beispielsweise in der letzten Achse von Gelenkarm-, Portal- und Delta-Robotern vor verschiedenen Greifersystemen eingesetzt werden. Der Getriebebaukasten für Cobots mit vollintegrierten Getrieben hilft bei der schnellen Umsetzung verschiedenster Cobot-Ideen. Der Anwender muss sich mit der Plug & Play- Lösung keine Gedanken zur Leistungselektronik machen.
