Any parent who takes one look at the VEX Robotics Strandbeast from Hexbug might be immediately terrified once it starts moving; it looks like a robotic spider, its legs and tentacles moving with poise and grace, but also with a touch of deftness and calculation that seems almost alien-like but somehow so very real. It can be easy to get scared and ask, Just what is this? What is it going to do to me?
But if you showed any young boy the VEX Robotics Strandbeast, you can guarantee the first thing out of their mouth will be Cool! That is if they aren’t rendered completely speechless by its awesomeness.
The VEX Robotics Strandbeast from Hexbug, a company very much focusing on “build it yourself” kits, is a robotic toy spider that comes equipped with 64 different programming variations. Programming is easy; kids just have to tap a number of switches on the robot’s brain before the spider springs into life and begins to crawl around the house, leading to hours of fun.
Because there are so many different programming variations, coupled with three drive modes, there are literally endless experiments and possibilities to be had, meaning any young child can be as creative as they want. No chance of the kind of boredom that comes with a simple plastic action figure that a kid likes to smash repeatedly against a wall.
The three drive modes are:
• Standard Drive
• Autonomous
• Crazy Autonomous
Standard drive allows your child to control the robot with the use of an included remote control, so if you don’t get dinner ready quickly, your child might just use it to give you a gentle (okay, terrifying) nudge. The autonomous mode gives the robotic toy the chance to control itself using in-built sensors, while the crazy autonomous mode is designed to replicate the seemingly random nature of an actual spider. This is where things get really scary for parents. It’s intelligently designed, though, with LED modules preventing it from walking into walls and causing damage to the mechanics.
The fun for any child isn’t just limited to controlling the eight-legged beast, though. Owing to the products “build it yourself” nature, they are given the chance to construct it from scratch. Assembly is fairly simply, consisting of snapping various plastic pieces according to the instruction packet. This makes the toy very hands-on, meaning kids as young as eight are given the opportunity to think through how they’re going to construct their spider, allowing them to get a feel for the basics of robotics from an early age.
Hexbug have given kids the chance to tinker about with their own robot, but for any kid that isn’t all that bothered about the science behind the structure of their toy, there will still be a sense of pride once their robotic spider is built and primed for action. Once everything is attached, including the wiring that needs to be connected to the robot’s brain, the toy is simple to use and there will be hours of endless fun and creativity to be had.
The holidays are approaching, and the VEX Robotics Strandbeast would make the ideal gift for any young boy who has taken a bit of an interest to mechanics and how things work from an early age. It’s the thinking kid’s toy this Christmas. This isn’t just another remote controlled car; it has the added bonus of allowing the kid to really tinker about and actually create something lasting and worthwhile. Just make sure you don’t leave it on ‘crazy autonomous mode’ before going to bed at night …
**Disclosure: I received a sample of the product to facilitate this post. No other compensation was provided and all views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own.