Vex Robotics Starter Kit
© 2005 RadioShack
This is an industrial strength robot kit is for serious high school level students. It uses real nuts, bolts, and metal parts for the construction of durable radio-controlled robots. There are approximately 500 included parts, including three variable-speed motors, a programmable controller, gears, wheel types and so on. This kit was designed for FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, a high school robotics program that also uses the LEGO Mindstorms kit. This is a fairly technical kit, better for older kids, and it can be tricky to program, although the manual provides detailed lesson plans with step-by-step instructions. The kits are available from RadioShack Stores.
$300, Smart Toy
Teaches: science, computer programming, mechanical engineering, math and physics