Check out the Maker Shed’s Arduino & Robots Gift Guide!

Pick up gifts for the robotically inclined with the Arduino & Robots Gift Guide put together by the Maker Shed team.  For beginners, there are no-soldering required projects like the Tin Can Robot Kit and the Makey Makey Standard Kit, which turns nearly anything you can think of into a computer key. For the more advanced, give a Getting Started with Arduino Kit v3.0 to those who wish to build electronics projects that sense and react to stimuli.  If your recipient is Arduino-savvy, check out the Audio Hacker Shield Kit for Arduino, where you can record, manipulate, and synthesize audio samples.

From Artec Educational, the Push Button Programmable Robot is a great introduction to robotics for the young Maker.  This bot is easy to assemble, with no soldering required. The Push Button Programmable Robot  is also autonomous in that it needs no external coding from a computer- all of the inputs are keyed into the robot itself.  Simply press your commands into the robot and watch it navigate a course of your choosing- the product includes a test course to get you started.  The Push Button Programmable Robot is ready to roll right out of the box!

Our friends at Red Bear Labs recently came out with an updated Bluetooth Low Energy Shield for Arduino 2.0, and it has been flying out of the warehouse since we got this shield in stock.  The BLE Shield 2.0 allows you to give bluetooth control to any of your Arduino boards, including the Uno, Mega 2560, Leonardo, and Due. Use the free app from the Apple App Store or write your own to control your Arduino from your mobile device.  The version two upgrades include having the option to use an SMA connector to attach your own antenna to your project and the onboard reset button now resets the Arduino board. Feel the power in your hands (and mobile device) with the BLE Shield 2.0.

Inspired by the popular Dutch artist, the Theo Jansen Style Biped Walking Robot utilizes wind power to give movement to this miniature robot.  A twist on the classic design of the Strandbeest Kit, this bipedal robot shifts its weight and “walks” when given a gentle push from moving air.  Create the robot with Jansen-style linkages, place on a flat surface, and watch the Biped Walking Robot toddle around your home or office.

In addition to these products, there are many more fantastic gifts located in the Maker Shed Arduino & Robots Gift Guide— don’t forget to pick up a bot for yourself!