Coding Circus STEM robot

We had the original Robo on our wishlist for a long time; but the reviews on the 1st version said it had some minor limitions. It looks like the manufacturer listened and made all the right improvements to 2.0!
Our kids are 6 & 9. At the time of this review, our schools just announced they'll remain closed this fall due to Covid. I'm not a great teacher and am desperately looking for STEM activities that are actually fun. And now that he is here, Robo 2.0 really fits the bill!!!
Right out of the package, my 9yo found this almost too easy. Which was great because he was able to supervise his 6yo sister. She didn't need assistance, but more a little encouragement here and there.
They both love video games, so they had it's remote down in just a few minutes.
Robo himself is really well built. The plastic feels thick and good quality.... I don't think I'll have to worry about my kids busting him repeatedly running him into the wall. And did I mention that she's adorable!

This little coding robot has a lot to offer with his hidden noises and funny sounds. Let's first talk about what is included in the box. You get this the coding robot, remote control, 2 face plates or 'glasses', 40 coding cards, 6 double sided puzzle piece circuit type tyles, 27 obstacle pieces ( blocks, rails, and flags), and instructions. Now, what can you do with it? After putting in 5 AAA batteries (3 in Robo and 2 in the coding remote) You can put him in 1 of his 2 functions, line following or coding. By placing the black and white side of the tiles down (in line following mode) he will follow the arranged tile lines without leaving it unless the line doesn't create a full circuit. I've also discovered you can draw your own lines with thick black marker on paper to help as a fun way to help learn letters and numbers, just be sure to use bold thick lines and make the letters extra big so he can follow them without getting lost. While using the coding remote and tiles, you can plan out what path you'd like Robo to follow and arrange obstacles. By using the coding tiles rather then just imputing them into the remote helps your child learn directions and open up a line of dialogue and help with problem solving. When you've programmed the directions you just press the big transmit button and Robo will light up and off he goes.

I had been thinking about getting the original Robot set, so when they came out with this Robo I decided to try it. Overall, it is a great toy that works well and inspires logic and critical thinking. I love that it is fun for kid to use, and they are learning the whole time.

Robo can be programmed to follow commands, to pick up objects, to follow a path or shape, to go through an obstacle course, or even to turn into train, dinosaur, police car, etc. It's pretty cool for kid to draw their own design and have Robo follow their path. This can be used with existing toys, and the original Robo accessory set would work with this too.

Robo moves and turns smoothly. The wheels are a soft rubber to protect your floors, but this also means it runs better on a hard surface, or at least a dense carpet with a low pile.

This is one of the great toys that seemingly has no end of possible ways to play with it. It's a fun little robot to play with. Or you can "program" it to do simple tasks. You can play robot Says (A mix between Simon Says and the memory light game also called Simon). You can learn if/then commands. You can have him follow your own pattern of black lines. You can set up an obstacle course or program robot to move objects with his optional arms. (the arms come included but most games don't require that the arms be attached). It really is a great toy and keeps the attention of my children from 5-12. My 12 year old has been caught interested in it, though I'd say it's more geared for younger to mid elementary ages.

There is a timer on it so he goes to sleep if no one is playing with him after 5 minutes. That is nice, and saves the batteries! It takes 5 AAA batteries. And doesn't seem to eat them too terribly fast. We get a lot of play out of him.

My kids (ages 4, 7, 9 & 11) have all been having fun playing with this robot. It’s easy to set up and I love how even preschool aged kids can use it (no reading necessary). All you do to program the robot is press the directional arrows to control the robot’s movements. The set also comes with flags, obstacles and fun tiles to make courses. Great STEM toy and intro to coding concepts. My older kids were able to do more complex functions like if/then statements and there is a short manual that explains everything and gives example challenges. Highly recommend!