SHENZHEN, March 29th, 2021 – Umbratek, a cutting-edge new robotic tech startup, has just released its first robotic arm series called the UTRA series on Kickstarter. With 5 different robot arm models to choose from, the UTRA series is the world’s most powerful and most affordable modular robot on the market today.
Ranging from a 4 to 6 axis build, the arms can be easily configured with modular design for improved efficiency. Each robot is built with modular structures and can be constructed to meet your business needs. Being 90% produced in-house, the UTRA series is approximately 70% more affordable than leading worldwide competitors.
Specifications: Payload: Up to 20kg Repeatability: Up to ±0.01mm Weight to Payload Ratio: Up to 0.75 Reach: Up to 1500mm Quick-Release Module: 2s tool change speed
Driving the revolutionary UTRA series is Umbratek’s ADRA Actuator series. Each ADRA Actuator is built to last and comes with a high-precision harmonic reducer made of high-strength aviation aluminum and high-carbon chromium steel.
A high-torque density, and compact structure, enable the motor to be integrated into the actuator and lessens the actuator weight. Each actuator is fitted with high-performance servo drivers, which use field-oriented control, to protect against overvoltage, overcurrent, over-temperature, reverse connection, undervoltage ESD, short-circuiting, and rotor lock. The ADRA series also uses dual GMR+TMR hybrid detection technology and comes with a 16-bit off-axis multi-turn absolute encoder.
Evan Deng, founder, and CEO of Umbratek, stated, „Umbratek focuses on high-performance dynamic robots and control systems. We’ve spent the last few years developing simplified, customized, affordable robotic solutions for any potential needs. Our robots provide fresh energy to industrial automation, logistics, medical, agricultural, and many more settings.“
Umbratek was built with growth in mind. With meticulous design and implementation, Umbratek is always thinking forward. They want to become a world-leading enterprise in the field of dynamic robotics and control systems and continue to explore the limits of the world, working on cutting-edge technologies, and delivering knowledge and technology to those that need it.
Umbratek was founded in 2019 by the founder and CEO of UFactory. After being responsible for the revolutionization of desktop robotics, Umbratek was formed with the idea of developing quality assured robotics and robotic control systems at industry-breaking prices. The first range of solutions that Umbratek is offering is the UTRA Robot series, the ADRA Actuator series, and their corresponding software – Umbratek Studio & Assistant. To help Umbratek bring its UTRA series to the market, they are launching a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in March 2021.
Kids learn coding with the new Sparklekits, unleashing their creativity through a great building experience.
What is Sparklekits?
Sparklekits is a STEM kit with a set of modular magnetic blocks & puzzles that promotes educational discovery through open-ended play and hands-on experience using advanced technology. It is extremely easy to assemble and super intuitive to use. It is a better and more fun STEM education tool that integrates building, learning, coding and play.
Advanced Design
Sparklekits breaks down complicated engineering into easy-to-assemble, functional magnetic modular blocks that children can use without using any cables, screws or tools. Kids can’t get it wrong, creating an environment that invites experimentation and creativity while building confidence.
These building blocks are infused with magical, seamless technology that allows kids to code, build, and explore at their own pace. Built-in games and challenges let kids between 5-12 learn through play, and it’s fully LEGO-compatible!
Launching on Kickstarter on 10thNov 2020
Funding Goal: USD $5,000
Funding Amounts: USD $129.95 to receive one of the first 50 Sparklekits set (shipping APR 2021)
The wait is over! The Robo Wunderkind Explorer Kits are finally available for pre-order In this blog post, find out what makes our newest robotics kits lineup so special, and why it is bound to become a highlight of this Christmas for your child.
Redesigned building blocks, extended functionally, and even more room for fun and learning – all you can think of in STEM represented in the Robo Wunderkind Explorer Kits. Besides the awesome perks you get by pre-ordering early, you and your child will benefit from the unique play and learning experiences these kits bring along. Ready to find out about the coolest features?
LED Display
This new, cube-shaped block offers so many possibilities for kids to be creative! Draw pictures and emotions, display them on the 16*16 resolution screen, and add some artistry to your coding creations. This building block supports animations, so your kid can create projects with short cartoons or text scroll.
Line Follower
Another new feature that our community has been looking forward to: the Line Follower block is our newest addition to the array of building pieces! With this block, your child’s robots can detect and follow lines drawn on the floor. Besides providing many ideas for super fun activities and games, this block is also an essential element of robotics – plenty of learning outcomes guaranteed!
Accelerometer
This sensor will help Robo to find its way around: it can recognize which way is up, down, left, and right! You can measure gravitational forces with an accelerometer, just like an astronaut in space. Programmed with our Python API, this sensor will also allow you to calculate your robot’s orientation in 3D space.
Smart Motors
Each Robo Wunderkind Explorer Kit is now equipped with our new Smart Motors! Besides driving to a precise distance and turning, they now support relative angular positioning of anything you place on top of them.
Project Sharing
The coolest feature is coming to Robo Wunderkind apps: they will be even more fun to play with having our brand new project sharing functionality. Soon, you’ll be able to not only create your own code but also share it with friends and send them to other devices you have at home. Sharing is caring!
Excited for your little inventor to have fun and learn coding with these cool features? Pre-order Robo Wunderkind today, and get a 15% discount on any kit, a free t-shirt for your child, a possibility to upgrade your purchase, and even win an iPad mini! Delivery: end of September 2020. Pre-order now!
Wien, September 2020 – Ab heute lassen sich die neuen Roboter-Kits für zu Hause und für die Schule von Robo Wunderkind vorbestellen. Die Roboter-Sets des innovativen EdTech-Unternehmens aus Wien fördern spielend die kognitiven Fähigkeiten und die Problemlösungskompetenz von Kindern ab 5 Jahren. Dadurch erwerben Kinder bereits in jungen Jahren wertvolle Skills, die den Grundstein für den späteren Ausbau ihrer MINT-Fähigkeiten legen und ihre Erfolgschancen im weiteren Leben erhöhen.
Spielend den Entdeckergeist wecken
Die Roboter-Sets bestehen aus mehreren dreidimensionalen Modulen, die Kinder zu verschiedensten Strukturen, wie Leuchttürmen, Figuren oder Autos zusammensetzen können. Dabei sind der Kreativität der Kinder keine Grenzen gesetzt, da die Roboter-Kits auch mit LEGO Technic-Teilen kompatibel und damit beliebig erweiterbar sind. In Kombination mit den Apps von Robo Wunderkind fördern die Roboter-Sets das räumliche Denken, die Problemlösungskompetenz und die kognitiven Fähigkeiten von Kindern. Diese Skills sind entscheidend für die spätere Weiterentwicklung von MINT-Fähigkeiten. Mit den Roboter-Kits und Apps von Robo Wunderkind können Eltern und Lehrer somit spielend die Grundlagen für den späteren Erfolgs ihrer Kinder und Schüler legen.
Für die neuen Roboter-Kits Explorer Lite, Explorer Prime und Explorer Pro hat Robo Wunderkind die Vorgängerversionen umfassend analysiert und anhand von Kundenfeedback zahlreiche Verbesserungen vorgenommen. So sind die einzelnen Module der Roboter-Sets aus robusteren Materialien gefertigt und die Seiten wurden abgeflacht, damit Kinder mit ihren Teilen von Lego Technic noch leichter kreative Konstruktionen und Ideen entwickeln können. Die zusätzlichen Module bieten eine verbesserte Haptik und noch mehr Platz, um die verschiedenen Sensoren anzuschließen. Mit der dritten Generation der Roboter-Kits präsentiert Robo Wunderkind die Robo Blocky App, um weitere Möglichkeiten zur Weiterentwicklung von Programmierfähigkeiten zu schaffen. Die App ermöglicht es Kindern, sich mit nur einem Roboter-Kit von der einfachen Fernsteuerung bis hin zur komplexen, block-basierten Programmierung vorzuarbeiten. Damit finden Kinder jeden Alters Aktivitäten und Aufgaben, die ihren Interessen, Vorlieben und Kompetenzen entsprechen.
Kinder – die Programmierer und Entwickler der Zukunft
Das Besondere am Ansatz von Robo Wunderkind: Das Unternehmen verknüpft die physischen Spielzeug-Module mit Apps, über die sich die Roboter programmieren lassen. Insgesamt stehen drei Applikationen für Smartphones und Tablets zur Verfügung: Robo Live, Robo Code und Robo Blockly. Darüber können Kinder die von ihnen gebauten Roboter so programmieren, dass sie beispielsweise beim Umherfahren bei einem bestimmten Abstand zu einem Objekt stehen bleiben. Alternativ können Kinder die Lichtaufsätze so steuern, dass sie je nach Abstand zu einem Gegenstand in verschiedenen Farben leuchten.
Über die App lernen Kinder also spielend erste Programmierfähigkeiten. Das fördert nicht nur Technik-Skills, sondern weckt ihre Begeisterung für entsprechende Aufgaben. Die Roboter Kits von Robo Wunderkind setzen bei der Entwicklung von Kindern also auf zwei Komponenten. Der physische Aspekt, das Zusammenbauen der Module, fördert die kognitiven Fähigkeiten, während Kinder durch die Kombination mit der Software-Komponente zudem wertvolle technische Skills und Problemlösungskompetenzen erwerben. Mit diesem Ansatz erlernen Kinder mit Spaß Fähigkeiten, die für ihren Erfolg im weiteren Leben entscheidend sind. Mit den Roboter-Kits von Robo Wunderkind wächst die nächste Generation an Programmierern und Entwicklern heran.
Über Robo Wunderkind
Robo Wunderkind ist ein EdTech-Unternehmen mit Hauptsitz in Wien/Österreich und hat bereits Anwender in über 60 Ländern. Das innovative Start-Up-Unternehmen hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt Kinder zu inspirieren, damit sie durch Technologie kreativ sein können. Schon ab 5 Jahren können Kinder mit den Roboter-Kits von Robo Wunderkind ihre eigenen Roboter und Gadgets bauen und programmieren.
Das österreichische Unternehmen erarbeitet mit Experten und Lehrern Unterrichtspläne, die es erleichtern die Roboter in den Vorschul- und Schulunterricht zu integrieren und so die MINT-Fähigkeiten von Kindern zu entwickeln und auszubauen. Robo Wunderkind ist bereits in mehr als 500 Schulen im Einsatz und kooperiert mit ausgewählten europäischen Non-Profit-Organisationen wie SSPCA, Get Your Wings, Digitale Wolven. Das Unternehmen startete außerdem die Initiative Robo Makers Marathon für das den Unterricht zu Hause. Hunderte von Kindern und Eltern auf der ganzen Welt nahmen an Webinaren und Online-Aktivitäten teil und lernten so, bequem von zu Hause aus zu programmieren.
Cubelets® robot blocks by Modular Robotics are a fast and easy way to inspire kids to become better thinkers. Simply snap Cubelets together to easily create your own robots, no programming required. The behavior of your robot is determined by your construction. How your robot behaves emerges from what blocks you use and how you orient them.
Cubelets are unique in that you can code any Cubelet to do something new. Programming the various parts in parallel helps you learn about how systems work. It provides intuitions about how parts interact to become something bigger than themselves.
More on these interesting Cubelets and the modular robots you can build with them will follow soon on robots-blog.com as we have a kit in our hands and have just started to play with it!
With $10M in Series A+ funding, Vincross launches MIND Kit, first robotics-only makers kit, available on Kickstarter
San Francisco, February 19, 2019 / PRNewswire / — Vincross <http://vincross.com/>, a developer of accessible consumer robotics, announced the launch of MIND Kit, a robotics developer kit for makers, developers, robotics enthusiasts, and even first time students of robotic development, which is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter starting today.
The launch of MIND Kit is opportune in an environment when robotics is garnering greater visibility of its future impact to society, but in reality the opportunities to learn about or even develop complex robotics doesn’t exist outside of the laboratory or children’s robotics development kits.
In fact, 90% of Americans believe learning about robotics will ‘future-proof’ their professions, but just 5% of Americans have attempted to develop a robotics program, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by Vincross. The crux of the problem lies in 62% of Americans today feeling that robotics hardware is inaccessible, according to the poll. MIND Kit comes in at a time when too few public or community-based resources are available, while robotics kits with drag-and-drop programming merely cater to children, but offer nothing modular and sophisticated enough to build practical, complex robots.
Driven by a mission to make robotics accessible, which started with HEXA, Vincross’ six-legged all-terrain robot, MIND Kit takes Vincross vision a step further. As the first and only robotics-optimized makers kit that’s highly customizable, MIND Kit sports 54 programmable pins and six USB-C ports, suited for building experimental IoT devices and robots that makes access to robotics development closer to a reality where it’s no more challenging than building mobile applications.
MIND Kit is the sum of three fundamental hardware modules that make up the base of the kit including the CEREBRUM, the central processing unit enabling complex AI computations including computer vision AI or Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM); the SERVO CONTROLLER, which powers as many as 20 servos motors simultaneously; and ENERGON, a battery optimized to run both servo motors and AI algorithms with an output rate of 480 watts.
Under the hood powering MIND Kit, is MIND OS 2.0, Vincross’ updated robotics-specific operating system that can be accessed through a simple SDK, making it easier than ever to build your MIND Kit robot’s skills, movements and applications, without requiring deep robotics development skills. In addition, MIND OS is supported by the Vincross Forum, a community of robotics developers sharing the knowledge and skills to support other developers in their robotic builds.
For added functionality, users can attach additional plug-and-play modular hardware accessories including lidar, mountable sensors, speakers, mic arrays or even a tank base that allows your robotics build to drive over uneven terrain.
In fact, early beta testers have transformed MIND Kit into lifestyle accompaniments including a voice controlled IoT device with motorized arms that act on command to passing the salt and pepper at your dinner table or to assist with infant feeding; a consumer robotics product like a vacuum cleaner that uses SLAM and computer vision to navigate around your floor while brushing up dust autonomously; or even an eight-legged all-terrain robot akin to HEXA.
“HEXA was the most sophisticated all-purpose consumer robot that empowered even software developers to manipulate HEXA, but we saw a demand to make robotics development just as easy for both developing hardware and software,” said Tianqi Sun, CEO and Founder of Vincross. “MIND Kit was a natural evolution from HEXA and hope to inspire more aspiring roboticists out of the classroom and building real world use cases for robotics.”
Product Features
CEREBRUM – The ‘brain’ or CPU that powers the MIND Kit ecosystem including its modular accessories, runs on an ARM Cortex-A53 Quad-Core 1.2GHz processor.
SERVO CONTROLLER – The module that enables MIND Kit to run up to 20 servos motors simultaneously. The Servo Controller along with the Cerebrum, when clipped together, form the basis of MIND Kit as a robotics-optimized makers kit.
ENERGON – a Lithium-ion battery that’s optimized to run both AI and robotic motors efficiently.
MIND OS 2.0 – The first and only operating system on the market that’s exclusively designed for robotics, has been updated and now makes it easier than ever to develop software applications for your robot.
Customizable – With 54 programmable pins or 6 USB Type-C outlets built into Cerebrum, hack MIND Kit to build highly sophisticated robots customized to your desire.
Modular Accessories – With plug-and-play accessories, clip accessories together to add more functions to your robotic build including Lidar, 4-Axis Robotic Arm, Tank Base (wheeled module with caterpillar track), Speaker & Microphone Array, and Rover Base (four wheeled module).
Robotics-Optimized – The only robotics-tailored makers kit, MIND Kit can control up to 20 servo motors at once, while also running SLAM, real-time video processing, and reinforcement learning.
MIND Kit’s basic kit is available for on Kickstarter for $99 USD, including Cerebrum, and will later retail for $150 USD. A combo kit, comprised of Cerebrum, a Servo Controller, and Robot Battery, will be available for $199 on Kickstarter.
CellRobot allows anyone to build hundreds of different functional robots or toys using robotic cell modules
Beijing, China – CellRobot (http://cells.io) just announced a Kickstarter campaign to bring their product to market, in time for Christmas.
Just like the cells in our bodies work together to create life and function, CellRobot is made up of individual robotic cells that can be put together to form practical and functional robots.
At the core of the robot, lies a HEART, which communicates with the other frame/muscle cells that are connected with it. Inside each CELL, there is a servo motor, a sensor and an independent MCU (Microprogrammed Control Unit). Once connected to the heart using easy-to-connect snap joints, each cell can be directed to move in any direction and angle desired. These cells will come in sets of 2, 4, 8 and 12, and can be configured in any way. Additionally, there will also be functional cells (called x-cells) for things like: spotlights, wheels, connectors, and cameras.
CellRobot will launch with its own supporting mobile application (that works with iOS and Android based phones). The app will have two modes: GUIDE mode and CUSTOM mode. The guide mode directs users on how to assemble different robots and helps to check whether they’ve done it correctly. The custom mode allows users to create any shape or movements they want. Irrespective of mode, the app immediately recognizes what has been created and shows a 3D visualization of it through the app.
The app will also include a shape library for an initial set of ideas on what to create. The shape library will expand over time as the community adds new configurations, ideas, and experiments into it. Once a robot is setup, it can then be controlled using the app. The robots can be assembled and disassembled rapidly and with ease.
The company will also be offering an open platform to enable other technology providers to develop applications and new types of x-cells on top of the CellRobot solution.
The Kickstarter campaign will go live on October 13, 2015 for a duration of one month. Product prototypes and demo units are being tested at the moment, whereas actual manufacturing has also initiated. The heart, cells and x-cells (connector, spotlight and wheel) will be ready to ship to Kickstarter backers in December in time for the holiday season, whereas the camera related functional x-cells will be shipped out next quarter.
The costs will vary from $169 to $600 USD for different kits, depending on how many cells are included in the package.
