Product Description If you've ever seen video of those giant, articulated robotic arms in an auto assembly plant doing their thing, you know what true modern marvels they are. The speed and precision with which they grasp a part, swing it into place on the chassis, or make spark-spewing spot welds in rapidfire succession, really blows the mind. So what if each robotic arm replaced about 200 human workers. They kept wanting a lunch break every day, and medical benefits. Well, the Robotic Arm Edge is a second-generation, scaled down version of the real deal and it hasn't put anyone out of work. In fact, it has probably created a job or two at the factory of OWI, the premier manufacturer of consumer robot kits. You build the robot arm and its cabled control console from plastic-molded parts and hardware following the illustrated assembly manual. Once they are assembled (and no soldering is required), you use the five levers on the controller to command the arm to move in any of 12 different ways. Five gearboxes, five joints, and five motors actuate the gripper open and close motions, wrist motion of 120 degrees, an elbow range of 300 degrees, base rotation of 270 degrees, base motion of 180 degrees, vertical reach of 15 inches, and horizontal reach of 12 inches. The arm can lift small objects weighing up to 3.5 oz. An LED search light on the gripper illuminates the target object and allows nighttime play.
GreatAugust 10, 2010 R. Rayess(oxford, MA United States) My daughter (7 years old) and and I had th best time assembling and building this robot.
She was so proud of herself building with motors, gears and wires.
Best bonding time
Great educational toyAugust 10, 2010 MrAcrid For the cost, this is a well made, well thought-out kit with a good instruction manual - all pieces are identified and images clearly show their correct orientation etc. Build with care and patience and you will be rewarded with a fun learning project that will demonstrate simple mechanical (robotic) joint operation and simple power distribution via the switched control box (this also requires assembly). Children also get the benefit of using basic tools - such as cutters, screwdrivers and files. Note that children will require supervision and may need some help. Thoroughly recommended.
Awesome GiftJuly 22, 2010 jcmangino So, I got this for my 15 year old brother for his birthday. He's all the time tinkering with things like broken VCRs and CD players and such, so I figured this would be perfect.
It shipped fast and very well packaged. When my brother finally got it, it took him all of 45 minutes to have it put together. He loves it, he's currently 'teaching it how to write' with a sharpie! It's very easy to control and seems very sturdy, it's not too big but it's heavier than it looks. Overall, this was a fabulous gift and my brother was thrilled with it. It shouldn't be too much of a challenge for anyone with a little electronics know-how (though it does have some pretty small parts you need to keep an eye on) and it's a blast to play with!
Not just for kidsJune 19, 2010 Sean F. Kennedy This is a good intro into robotics. I got it for father's day and made me very happy. It took me about 3 hour to build. Couple of things to keep in mind:
-Some of the screws look a like but are not. I would say to sort them before hand so not to get them mixed up.
-I was surprised the gears have no lubrication. This could make it quieter. I think this is something you could add your self. Just be careful not to degrade the plastics.
-I would like to have seen a DC adapter rather than batteries. I may build one.
With the simple pin-out system, it should be easy to hack.
Engaging & FunApril 10, 2010 Ed T(Singapore) I think this would be fun for those who like to build stuff.. Took me around 2 - 3 hours to get it done but enjoying every bit of it after that.. =)
