Cubelets – clever cubes combine to make brilliant bots

Cubelets are mechanised toy cubes which band together to create an infinite amount of custom-built robots.

Construction is super simple. Much like a Mechazord the modular Cubelets magnetically snap together and do not require wiring, so anyone can become a robot builder in seconds.

Each one has its own individual and simple function and cubes are divided into categories of sense, think and act.

“Basically that’s what our working definition of what a robot is. Any mechanical device that senses, thinks and acts,” says Eric Schweikardt, Cubelets designer at Modular Robotics – the maker of the toys.

For example, a battery, wheels and motion sensor join together to create a robot which drives towards anything it senses in front of it, nicknamed the “aggression bot”.

These 6-faced gadgets are also hoping to inspire the next generation of of engineers and scientists.

Modular Robotics has secured funding from the US National Science Foundation, due to its mission to get youngsters to explore scientific thinking when playing.

As well as being available to buy in shops, Cubelets are also being sent to science museums and schools.

“We’re giving kids a toolkit to build their own complex systems so they can start to gain intuitions about how things fit together,” Schweikardt explained.

Cubelets video

About Peter Jenkinson

Toyologist Pete Jenkinson regularly writes about toys in national newspapers like The Sun and The Mail. This super-dad has an unmatched passion and dedication for trying and testing the latest, coolest and most interesting offerings from the world of toys.

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