Robots are cool but kits to build them can be very expensive. Some of the cool robotic kits we’ve seen in the past can run thousands of dollars. A company called Barobo has a new modular robotic kit that you can make all sorts of robotic constructs that is very cheap. The kit is called the Mobot and is up for pre-order right now.
The basic kit costs $270, and a number of connection plates and attachments will be available. Users could 3D print accessories too. One available attachment is a gripper arm they can articulate up and down. The kit snaps together rather than using screws. The programming of the robot is done with software using a GUI called RobotController.
People more inclined to do their own programming can also program using C/C++ via the interpreter Ch. Each of the little cube sections are 3″ x 3″ x 7.43″. The joints have 4° of freedom from two body joints and two rotating faceplates. There are six mounting surfaces to mount other modules and accessories, and the kit is Bluetooth enabled. Normal 9 V rechargeable batteries used for power give about two-hour battery life.
[via Flexibility Envelope]