If we made all the educational robots compete against each other, surely the quality-price winner would be Edison. This robot includes an infrared sensor (the classic line tracker), a distance sensor, two LEDs, three buttons, one bell/clap detector, an infrared receptor and is compatible with Lego. All of these features would mean nothing if there were not any activities, easiness to program the robot and resources… Which there are!
For the price, I imagine a lot of people will buy it just as an engine for their Lego creations. But Edison’s goal is wider and aimed at the educational community (it reminds me of the Lego WeDo). Let’s learn more about it…
Table of Contents
Robot Edison by ages
4 years and up – Follow the line
They recommend using it with the line tracker scanner and a remote control. The first one is integrated with the infrared sensor and it is a quick way to make children experiment with the robot. The user scans the code and the robot will be programmed for a particular activity (here is more information and the complete code list). There are games like avoid obstacles, draw lines, Sumo battles…
On the other hand, you can control Edison with a remote (not included). The creator says that it is compatible with 75% of remote controllers out there. That is another original way for learning how to control the robot.
7 years and up – EdBlocks
EdBlocks, is a programming language that uses simple blocks. There are heaps of possibilities and its own Activities Book for free. The programming language can be tested here and it integrates access to the different sensors and functions in Edison. For example, you can program it to execute an action when you push the button “1” in the remote.
10 years and up – EdScratch
EdScratch, as the name indicates, it is based in Scratch. It is a vertical programming language that also uses blocks and you can try it here. EdScratch instructions here.
13 years and up – EdPy
EdPy, this is a programming language based on Python… This means, you will get to code like in the Major Leagues! You can access its resources and the EdPy here.
EdCreate
EdCreate is an expansion of Edison with 115 Lego style pieces that can be used to build 5 projects. The instructions can be found here, be aware that you will need two Edison robots for three out of the five projects! A tank, an excavator, a mechanical arm, a crane and a printer: the projects are exciting and they integrate coding and construction. There is also a sheet with EdChallenges with ideas to encourage children’s creativity with coding and construction challenges.
The EdCreate set is available here (robots not included).
Conclusion
What we loved the most about this robot is that it can be used by 4 to 99 years. At the back of the room I hear someone complaining “is this robot for homes?” The answer is yes… You know what we think about the division between school and home when it is about robots: if parents and children are motivated, go for it!
Prices and where to buy it
The educational robot Edison has an amazing quality-price relationship. You can get a 25% discount on Amazon.
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