Itty Bitty Buggy DIY 5-in-1 Programmable Robot STEM Education Toy for Boys and Girls Age 8+ Learn Coding, Robotics and Electronics

I got this for my 6 year old as a toy, well okay I really got this for me under the guise of being for the kid... He actually really likes it and now I need to get another one for myself. It is designed for older kids, but my 6 year old has a lot of fun with it as a remote control robot and also writes his own programs using the Scratch interface in the app. Turned out to be way easier for him than I expected.At any rate, the kit comes in a really nice box with instructions and everything being neatly bagged and identified. The instructions in the box are good, but if you use the free app on your iphone/android you get a lot more comprehensive instructions and you'll want the app to control the bot anyway.This is one of those "more than meets the eye" type products. It is a toy/STEAM kit but it is also very powerful and compact, containing a rechargeable battery, bluetooth module, arduino board, external i/o pins and a clever mounting system all in a very compact lego compatible "brick". Since it uses a lego compatible form-factor it is highly modifiable to do just about anything you can do with legos and motors (everything?!). Pretty much unlimited...Pros:-App contains all of the code you need for the pre-built projects-One-tap upload-Easy to use controllers for driving the robot around, making sounds, etc-Built-in Scratch programming interface for making your own programs-USB charging-Wireless or USB programming-Very powerful servo motorsCons:-Battery is somewhat limited because the whole thing is really small, which is also a pro, but with energy intensive projects using the servos a lot, the battery only lasts about an hour. Luckily you can also supply constant power to it via the built-in micro-usb port on the side for an "always on" project-App has about 8 different models you can build with the basic kit, you can use additional legos/technics you already have to build more-Speaker isn't super powerful, though maybe this is also a proAs for the seller, box came super fast (thanks Amazon Prime!) and is well-packed, good instructions and attention to detail with the packaging.Update:So after having this for over a month, we've built about a dozen different types of robots with it. The lego compatibility aspect is really awesome and having it in such a tiny package makes it really easy to build powerful robots with it.When I originally got it I thought this was all they made, but after looking up the Microduino stuff online, they have a whole other line of similar arduino based sensors/processors that all play well together. The Itty Bitty Buggy kit is probably the best starting kit as it is very complete and all of the robots you can build with it are easy and fun.

Careful if you are looking to buy this, the app appears to no longer be supported. Can't do much without it.

I'm disappointed with the Buggy. It purports to be expandable with Microduino's mCookie modules and trinkets. However, the coding is so obscured as to make it nearly impossible for a beginning electronics hobbiest (which is who this is aimed toward) to use it that way.Microduino supports three ways to program their arduino devices: an app, a block based coding enviroment, and an arduino IDE.The first, an app specifically for the Buggy, provides very basic programming ability. It is block based programming that allows you to do things like change color of the lights, play music, program a path for the Buggy move, etc. It's a cute way to play with a toy robot, but it is not powerful.The second is mDesigner, a Scratch based programming utility. In mDesigner, you have to choose to program the Buggy or mCookie. If you want to use any built in buggy functionality, you have to use the Buggy, and none of the code for the mCookie modules and trinkets are available. If you want to use any of the mCookie modules and trinkets, you loose the blocks that let the Buggy move, play music, sense color, or use its lights.The last available programming method is an arduino IDE with Microduino module support. The Buggy is not supported in this IDE.Add to this that I've gotten contradictory responses from support when I've emailed them (before and after making my purchase), and I can't recommend this as a product for youth, unless you're looking for a cute little robot with limited functionality.UPDATE (June 2019):Another annoyance about this is that the app requites GPS to be enabled. There is absolutely no reason the Buggy or this company needs to know the exact location the the *children* that are playing with this toy.

The Bitty Buggy Programmable Robots are AWESOME smart toys for kids in this day and age. My son has had it for almost a week and still loves it. The idea of using a smartphone to program and remote control a toy, which can be customized like Lego in so many ways, is simply genius. Add voice control and coding practice to that, the versatility of this toy kit just blows my mind.Pros:1. The packaging is nice and neat. I could tell I was getting a quality product with a professional packaging like this.2. Instruction manual is clearly written and connections are straight forward. Kids have no problem following it.3. I found the Buggy App very intuitive and require no prior knowledge of programming to use. The eight or so build-in programs are a great start and a lot of fun for my son.4. The App even allows use of Scratch to do drag-and-drop coding! This is a MAJOR step-up from all other toys out there.Cons:A very minor one: the toy kit has many small assembly parts that look similar to each other and it can take a short while to find one you want.

Our 8 year old son has been really pleased with the Itty Bitty Buggy. He quickly progressed to being able to program it with the scratch-like software and the fact that it makes sound and shines different coloured lights as well as moving means it makes programming more varied and fun. My only complaint would be that the App is not 100% user friendly and as there are no detailed instructions, it takes a while to work out how to use control tools accurately - we struggled.with the voice recognition mode.