A cute 3D printed robot built to entertain kids and get them interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is making robotics fun.
Marty the Robot is billed by its creator, Alexander Enoch, and Robotical, the company marketing it, as "the perfect robot for kids, educators and makers, to help learn about programming, electronics, mechanical design, 3D printing and robotics."
Marty's a fully programmable, customizable walking robot. Its unique design reduces the cost of making a robot that can walk, turn, dance, kick a ball and do a lot more.
Marty's controllable from a mobile phone. It's programmable over Wi-Fi out of the box, and is easily expanded with a Raspberry Pi or Ardunio for ultimate flexibility. It costs some $120 per unit.
Marty consists of just three motors but the robot's legs give it great flexibility.
"The legs stay parallel at all times, and we use springs inside the legs to carry some of the weight. So basically Marty can balance on one leg without using any motor power, so that means it's a lot more energy efficient than a lot of toy robots are," said Enoch.
The design of its legs gives Marty a forward and backwards; a side to side and a twisting movement. Enoch said that's quite different to how a normal robot walks.
"It reduces the number of motors, which means it's cheaper to make, it's easier to program, it's easier to use, and the battery lasts longer."
Enoch thinks schools should buy the robots in bulk, giving kids hands-on experience of coding, a skill they're likely to need in adulthood. Younger kids can program Marty using Scratch, a free programming language.
All Marty's plastic parts are 3D printable, and Robotical make the design files available. This easy availability allows an owner to print spare parts, and make his own modifications and add-ons. An owner can upload and download part designs using the app store