The Hellobot STEM Education Robot offers educators, parents and kids a great opportunity to build on their existing coding skills and take the knowledge of coding, robotics and electronics to a higher level. If you are just starting with coding and robotics then you might want to program the robot using the BBC micro:bit Makecode Block based programming language. If you are an experienced developer and have some prior experience working with electronics, robotics then you can program the robot sing Javascript or even using MicroPython. The Hellobot STEM education robot is recommended for kids 10+ years and older. The Hellobot STEM Education Robot kit comes with instructions to build the robot. To make things easy and avoid confusion the sockets are designed with anti reverse capability reducing the chances of things going wrong while building the robot. This also ensures a simple, easy and safe construction.

The Hellobot STEM Education Robot requires use of a micro:bit. By writing code to get two micro:bit’s to talk to each other you can control the Hellobot remotely. These robots can also be controlled by a Bluetooth App and an Android app. When the mobile APP is close to the car, the Bluetooth is automatically connected, and the APP can be used to control the car to complete various fun and interesting gameplay. The Hellobot STEM Education Robot is really easy to assemble and can be put together in less than 60 minutes. You can use the Hellobot STEM Education Robot to introduce your child to the world of STEM and get them going with coding introducing them to the world of robotics using the micro:bit. The Hellobot STEM Education Robot is a great way to get started with the basics of coding and robotics using a flexible, affordable and easy to work with robotic platform.

Recommended Learning Prerequisites –

These tutorials will help you build upon the knowledge gained coding with Scratch and the BBC Makecode editor. This is an a beginner robotics track. We would highly recommend that you complete the following tracks before you start off with this track.

1. Introduction to coding concepts with Scratch I
2. Introduction to coding concepts with Scratch II
3. Exploring coding concepts using the BBC micro:bit I
4. Exploring coding concepts using the BBC micro:bit II

Take on the Hellobot STEM Education Robot Kit for BBC micro:bit development track to get a taste of the type of robotics projects you can build using the BBC micro:bit.

Hardware Prerequisites –

1. BBC micro:bit –
   1. This development track makes extensive use of the BBC micro:bit.
   2. If you haven’t purchased a BBC micro:bit yet you might want to head over to OzToyLib and pick one up now.
   3. We would recommend that you pick up the BBC micro:bit kit which comes with a battery pack, usb cable and the real micro:bit.
   4. We will be using the official online python editor to write code for all our tutorials. No investment required here.
2. Robot Kit –
   1. You will need a Hellobot STEM Education Robot. You can pick one up from OzToyLib.
   2. Please note that the BBC micro:bit needs to be purchased separately from the Hellobot STEM Education Robot.
   3. You can purchase the Hellobot STEM Education Robot at OzToyLib.
3. You can also look up each of these products at your local electronics hobby store.

About BBC micro:bit

The Micro Bit (also referred to as BBC Micro Bit, stylised as micro:bit) is an ARM-based embedded system designed by the BBC for use in computer education in the UK. The board is 4 cm × 5 cm and has an ARM Cortex-M0 processor, accelerometer and magnetometer sensors, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a display consisting of 25 LEDs, two programmable buttons, and can be powered by either USB or an external battery pack. The device inputs and outputs are through five ring connectors that are part of the 23-pin edge connector at the bottom of the board. The micro:bit can be programmed using the Microsoft Block code program editor which is similar to the block based language Scratch ideal for 7-12 year olds. The micro:bit can also be programmed using the Makecode editor in Javascript and Python which allows for older kids to learn the Javascript and Python programming language using the micro:bit.

You can read more about the BBC micro:bit at the microbit website. Also see Kitronik’s resources here – Parents Complete Guide To The BBC micro:bit.