5 Coolest Gadgets To Back In March

Kickstarter and Indiegogo feature awesome robots for all tastes.

In recent years, some of the coolest gadgets got their start via the two biggest crowdfunding sites. This includes Vector by Anki, Airblock by MakeBlock, Smartibot, Nybble and many more. And it seems that this was just the start, as even cooler projects are up for backing now. So let me list some that caught my attention.

Starting with cool educational toys

1. Sphero RVR — The go anywhere, do anything programmable robot.
   Sphero is a company that was founded in 2010 and has become famous by making the BB-8 toy after the robot from the latest Star Wars movies. In recent years, they have focused more heavily on making some of the coolest STEAM-education robots, like the spherical shaped SPRK+ and BOLT. Their latest robot, RVR is more than just a fun, programmable robot — it is also highly customizable. With their universal expansion port and onboard power, you can attach and run any third-party hardware on it, making it extra awesome. And the best part is that it suits all ages.
2. ActivePuzzle — Build Robots out of Puzzle Pieces.
   ActivePuzzle is a game for building robots out of puzzles. Neither coding nor computer screens are involved, simply snap puzzle blocks together to form robots. Its simplicity and intuitiveness make ActivePuzzle a great platform for invention and innovation. One important characteristic of ActivePuzzle is it being a gender-neutral game: the puzzle language makes girls feel natural and confident, and the game activities strengthen their self-efficacy. Best suitable for kids aged 8+.
3. Little Sophia by Hanson Robotics.
   Little Sophia is the little sister of Sophia (the first robot to receive citizenship of any country) and the newest member of the Hanson Robotics family. She is 14” tall, and your robot friend that makes STEM, coding and AI a fun and rewarding adventure for kids 8+ years old, especially girls. This one caught my eye especially for its intelligence, and we would love to see our soon to be born daughter grow up with more such robots around her.

Continuing with more professional robots

1. MIND KIT — Maker Kit Exclusively for Robotics.
   Vincross is the company that is behind MIND KIT. They believe that robots are the next big platform and have created an ecosystem, including the software and hardware, to help accelerate this reality. Vincross launched HEXA, a 6-legged programmable robot, last year on Kickstarter, delivering on-time a high-quality product to happy fans. Now they have come out with MIND Kit that is entirely modular. This means the different robot tanks, computer boards, rovers, sensors and battery easily fit together for easy customization. A truly cool thing.
2. Micro Drone 4.0 — Small, Intelligent, Autonomous.
   This company makes a palm-sized autonomous drone under $200 that captures smooth aerial video. It is a new category of drones and far from the norm in the marketplace. Currently, you have two choices: cheap, fixed-camera drones with shaky, low-quality video or expensive drones, which only professionals need. But finally, there is a cheaper alternative that works good enough for most user’s needs.

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