My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

My 7 year old daughter really wants to build robots. She is always bugging me about building one. Last year I bought her an R2D2, and, although she likes playing with it, it doesn't seem enough for her. She isn't shy with computers and loves to play video games. I'm contemplating buying her the Lego Mindstorm 2.0 system and I'm wondering, would this system be too advanced for a 7 year old? I'm a software engineer so I can help her with it, but will someone this age be able to do things with it on their own? I'd love to buy it for her, but the last thing I want is something that costs $200 to just occupy closet space. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Even if it's too complex for her now, she'll surely understand it in a year or two.

I wish I had had a Mindstorm set when I "was" a kid. ;)

Dave

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

If the lego mindstorm is too easy I would suggest maybe a VEX kit.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=146

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

:) Thanks for being so kind and understanding to your daughter and trying to give her this opportunity.

I would personally recommend looking into programs in your community. If a university is near by, they may very well have a strong program and something available yearly for elementary school students.

The lego set is a great idea to try, but I know when I was 6 or 7 my parents just gave me stuff to tinker with. E.g., I had toys break, and instead of just throwing them away, my parents would pick the ones they deemed safe and let me take them apart. It was a load of fun. You may want to consider taking her to the store and showing her that set, or maybe ask a highschool teacher to recommend something they'd do. By showing her the set she might make it a goal to get the set, and there's always Christmas and birthdays in the future if she shows interest that you can invest in it!

Good luck, and welcome to Chief Delphi...

- Genia Gabrielov

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I don't know much about the lego mindstorm or anything but our team does have a FIRST Lego League Team.

I would reccomend FIRST Lego League if they have it avaible in your area. FIRST Lego League is mainly for 9-14 year olds but I know our FIRST Lego League team has students even younger than that, so you'd probably want to contact your school system or the schools in your area.

Another product out there you might want to look into is VEX which you could buy at Radio Shack.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Get it for her and let her experiment. When she run into trouble help her out (but don't build it for her). Is there a FLL team in her school she can join in a couple of years?

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

she can join fll when she's about nine and even if her school doesn't have a team you can start you own, from experience it's a lot of fun :]

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

No, unfortunatly no teams at her school. I guess when she gets to be 9, I'll volinteer and start one.

If you bought the mindstorm system, how old were you and was it complicated to you?

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I got mine when I was in 4th grade. I did some simple stuff but I didn't really have anything to work towards (except my Santa Photo bot- a drivetrain with a disposable camera that could snap pictures(that I never finished)) so after a while I lost interest. I was really suprised at how easy it was to write simple programs with the software in the kit. Also a remote is good for younger kids becuase they don't have to program it for it to move. Then I got interested in FLL which I have been involved in for 4 years and will be a mentor next year. So while having a kit is good and fun being in FLL is really fun becuase there are tasks to accomplish.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I was the exact same way when I was younger, it sounds pretty simple, and it is. Just keep encourageing and her course will shape itself, Encourage and Challenge. If you think she's ready for the challenge that a Mindstorms kit may hold go ahead and give it a shot, it depends on the Kid, i never used stuff designed for my age, usually stuff much more complex. I was out of Duplo before i could walk. And you could always try some different stuff like the Lego Bulk bags that are bags with no directions attached (really puts a creative mind to work and is a lot more fun than today's boxed sets) or Some K'Nex, its all good. Keep in mind that Mindstorms are very expandable and can be used for lots of stuff, once you start you can't stop, there is always something to be built and programed.

i was 8, i used it for awhile, went off and did some other K'Nex work and came back to it around my 9th Birthday and designed a Candle blower so i wouldn't have to blow it out, i think i still have a drawing of my idea in a desk somewhere. I don't think it worked though

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I got my first Lego Mindstorms kit 5 years ago. The RCX block code is very easy. Also, there are tutorials that yor daugher can follow to get familiar with the system.

It wasn't complicated at all actually. LEGO designed this for kids.

I personally started out building simple 2-wheeled tanks for line following.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I'd say go ahead and get the Lego Mindstorms kit. Even if it's too complicated now, within the next few years it probably won't be too difficult. The programming interface is basic, there are only 3 motors to work with so you can make some pretty basic things that just drive around and such. This way your daughter will be familiar with the kit and will be prepared to join a Lego team in a few years. She won't have to worry about learning how to use the program or the kit because she will already know it. Again, I say go for it.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Cepak,
The Mindstorms Kit sounds like a good buy for your daughter especially if she is advanced and uses Lego porducts already. Althought the intricacies of RIS 2.0 will escape her for the moment, there are instructions on building several robots with preprogrammed software that will run on each of the robots you build. If she can follow picture instructions, with your help she should have no problem getting a lot out of this product. You, on the other hand will find the software confining. It is designed for children with no previous programming experience.
If your daughter does not have experience building with Lego products, she might be a little overwhelmed until she can identify the different sizes, shapes and connectors.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I never played with Lego or any of that such when I was younger, but my older brother did. Also, my cousin has the Mindstorm kit now.

However, if you do decide not to buy the Mindstorm, there is always Knex (where you can build huge stuff like ferris wheels and roller coasters - but may also be fairly expensive) or Meccanno (I don't know the price of Meccanno, but it does take a fair bit of precision).

hope this helps

Shyra

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I'll agree on everything except number of motors. I sure wish there were three! The basic, off-the-shelf version has only two motors, two touch sensors, and one light sensor. If that isn't enough, get an expansion pack which may have more of whatever you need more of. LEGO makes several expansion packs.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I have a 7 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. I also have a mindstorms kit. I don't think my daughter is ready for it yet. She plays with other basic lego's and until I see that shes putting things together with more intent and focus I don't think she's ready. But you know how kids are, they grow in spurts. So she could surprise me soon enough. Otherwise I think another year or so. Also you might run the risk of spoiling it for her in the future if she doesn't have success with it now. She might think it's not fun and dis it later on. Every kid is different, but most of the 7 year olds I know don't seem like they're mature enough for the focus required for that kit. Maybe a good thing to do would be to get a lego kit that comes with similar pieces but comes with a manual for building a couple specific things, and see if she can do that by herself. If so you could graduate her slowly. Definitely do not turn her loose alone on that mindstorms kit though. It needs to be explained quite intensely.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

They aren't to advanced but they take a commitment so if you think she will commit to it and will pay attention to it get it.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Just to offer a bit of a contrasting opinion here....I remember when I was little and the Lego mindstorms kits came out. I thought they were possibly the coolest things in the world...and wanted to get one. So I started saving up my pennies...(only would spend (1/4) of the money I had because I was "saving all that other money for college." I never got to my goal...only had about 40 bucks. Instead, I spent that on the Lego space shuttle. This spurred me and a friend to become obsessed with aircraft...we used to spend days and months drawing up ideas then trying to emulate them in Lego's. In fact...I swear the JSF team stole my idea for their lift fan (i put a ceiling fan in one of my aircraft so it could hover). I still talk with this friend who lives in Texas, and to this date both of us can think of nothing better than going into an aerospace related career. So the moral of the story here is...you might not have to get her something like the mindstorms kit. It may be cool...but there’s a point I think that it takes the imagination out of things. If you decide that your daughter isn't ready for the mindstorms kit, you might be surprised on how her ideas develop on her own.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I'd highly recommend buying a Mindstorm kit for your daughter. Its a very easy to understand programing interfeace, when you use the mindstorm program. If she thinks it is "too easy", you can then move her up to programming in RoboLab. By the time she is 9, you will have agreat FLL programmer.

From experience, FLL is a great program. Even if you don't have much experience with robotics, you can coach a team. My dad got pulled into it and he has no knowledge of computers or anything of the nature and our team when to states the first year. If you can find a group of kids and you get the support the local school district, go ahead and start up a team, there's no reason you or your daughter can't get involved now.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I recall a Lego League team in Mass that was made up entirely of 9 and 10 year olds.

Hey, your daughter might be a genious! I'd say GO for the Mindstorms kits (I loved playing with legos too when I was a kid). If the motors and programming is too much for her... let her start with building structures that she can physically move herself, then add the motors later on.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

The great thing about lego's is, that they offer an easier way of moving things and creating kinetic motion besides electrically, and a little cheaper than the mindstorms kit.

Lego offers pneumatics. I had/have a lego set with pneumatics, and I remember when I got it, it was the coolest thing.
I found a link to the set I have:
http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p...4154164&rID=-2

While programming may be more your lines of expertise, than your daughters, the pneumatics part of lego can still accomplish way cool stuff, and is real simple to use.

All you need is some specialty lego parts; some lego technic piece, pneumatic pumps, and hoses, and a little air, and you can move stuff real easy.


This is a project which can be more suited for home use, but when I was younger the local college had a program for kids that age, and they still do called Kids on Campus. It was basically a science related summer program where you lerned all kinds of neat stuff.

One class was based on using lego kits, and making some really neat stuff.

I'm sure if your local university, or college doesn't have anything like that, then maybe the local park and rec does?

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I have three kids, the youngest is 9, and they love LEGO Mindstorm.
They can site for hours browsing thru the PITSCO catalog. (www.pitsco.com)
LEGO is not for kids only.

There are stuff in PITSCO that I want!

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

you could allwase see if ther school is able to get a FLL team???? just an idea

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Thanks everyone. You've given me even more to think about.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I started out really early with robotics kits. Mindstorms was too expensive, so I went online and got some little hobby robotics kits. They usually come with a printed circuit board, all the components you need, and instructions on how to build it. These kits require solder and you don't have a lot of freedom as to what you build and what it does, but it teaches a lot about robotics and control theory. I spent my early teen years on these kits and they really sparked my interest in robotics. Plus, if you submit these robotics kits in science fairs and your are able to describe what is going on, you're virtually guaranteed a win of something like scholarships. Just Google "robotics kits" and you'll get a number of hits with kits for different skill levels. They definitely stand out apart from Lego's - and are a lot cheaper than the mindstorm kit!

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I would reccomend against the K'Nex rollercoasters and ferris wheels. I have one that my brother got as a child... we built it once and then didn't touch it until a few days ago when a friend and I started to make a K'Nex version of the WildStang robot. I would reccomend buying smaller kits or the big boxes of legos & K'Nex that someone mentioned already, it is much more fun and creative!
-Kelli-

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

i worked with a homeschool FLL team that had 7 years olds mixed with some 10 years...they held on their own...very creative when it came to the project and the younger ones just had so many ways to approach the various tasks...give them a few pieces and they just rapidly figure a way out...ask a few questions but something always seemed to work out eventually...

this just reminds me of a mentor's kid...he is about 7 and comes to our pit making toy cars and scooters and stuff out of pvc, plywoods and such....he just picks up the cordless drill and goes for it...we watch him of course....but little kids can be amazing...

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Ah yes that's right. I'm so used to having the 3 motors to work with. What I meant to say is that the Lego Mindstorms RCX supports three motors, but you only get two in the starter kit. Still this is good because it make things more simple and that's not bad when starting with the mindstorms kit.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Well, whatever you decide to do, juat make sure you keep her interested in these kinds of things. I believe that I heard somewhere that girls start to lose there creativity/boyeshness [I am not sure what to call it] around 10. So keep her involved with these things, I am always for girls being involved in these types of areas. Dont let her lose interest! [When I was little I played video games, with legos, making abstract things, and then in junior high I lost all that and there was a time that I didnt do much. then robotics came and got me back into what I realized I really like!]

-Ashley

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

if you are thinking of starting your own team team you should search

http://www.usfirst.org/jrobtcs/flego.htm

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Only supports three motors--yes, in theory. The facts: 1) that third port could be connected to a light; 2) you can hook up more than one motor to a port, just be prepared to have both run the same.

I'll have to wait for a third motor to be included in the normal Mindstorms kit. Ouch.

Also, there are numerous books about stuff to do with Mindstorms; I have one on robotic sumo wrestling....

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

When I was her age, I played around with the computer a lot. I took my dad's tools and played around in the shed, we had tons of small ongoing projects. We never had the money to get those sorts of things, so we made do with wood, and wheels.

The main thing is to make sure she STAYs interested in Robotics as she ages.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I've been leading robotics at our school, Catlin Gabel, for the last six years. What I've found is there's a ideal time to introduce LEGO robotics and FLL, especially for girls 8-12.

Introduce it too early and the kids aren't developmentally ready. You end up doing a lot of the work and the kids don't have all that much fun. They will then think they've "been there and done that" and may not come back to it when they are ready. Introduce it too late, and the social stuff has already set in and engineering isn't cool anymore.

Every child is different. In my opinion, the ideal time for LEGO robotics for girls is around 5th grade. Some fourth graders might be fine but younger than that you run the risk of peaking too soon. Girls in the 4th-5th grade can do a lot of programming themselves and can reason out the mechanical stuff. By all means get involved with FIRST Lego League...it's a great program. Keep the teams small, though, with younger kids.

It's not too soon for your daughter to get into building things with Lego's, now. Taking things apart is also a nice idea.

Dale Yocum
www.catlin.edu/robotics

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

What part of Texas do you live in? I am the FIRST Regional Director for Texas and there are several robotics programs in Texas. Let me know where you are at and I'll see what is in your area.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I live in Fort Worth Texas, Dallas is the small suburb to our east. Any information you have would be great. You can also contact me by email at tom.a.cepak@lmco.com.

Thanks,

Tom

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

I started with generic legos and just built towns or other 'spacecraft' or things out of them. I graduated into the train set we got for Christmas one year when I was about 9. The mindstorm kit didn't come out until I was in high school, and I never really got into it. Maybe it was my brother hogging the RCX, but more likely was competing social interests my freshman year of high school.

I know I had plenty of fun with the tons of legos I had, without the RCX. I made things move, articulated vehicles, things that were designed to separate into a smaller exploratory vehicle...without the RCX.

Cheers
Wetzel

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

If your daughter is ready to handle building as well as programming....Mindstorm will be a good start.....work on simple projects....but if you think she may get frustrated...then Knex or Capsela (if they still sell it) also ...Discovery Toys had a kit....like Lego's......but the gears were larger in size - I can't remember what it was called...but she can make ferris wheels, etc.....it is just a start to maintain as well as nurturing her interests.

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

At the age of 7 years is the perfect time to have a young person turned onto engineering and science. This country of course does not have enough technologists or scientists and its really hurting us! Anywho, the Lego Mindstorm Kit would be a perfect start for her. Yes it takes time to program and of course understand the settings and such but she will get use to it. It is something that she will grow into.

I would predict that after she has pretty much mastered the programming of the Lego Mindstorms, she can easily be a valuable asset to a FIRST Lego League Team.

There is also other robotics projects out there that are geared more torwards the programming spectrum. The Trinity Fire Fighting Competition is a key example. The masters of programming and robotics compete on a higher level.

Of course, after FIRST Lego League, she can move to the High School Level. A lot of teams invite younger members to join. The experience from that may influence them to stay or pursue other engineering options

I hope this information is helpful. If you need more information on Lego Mindstorms, don't be shy to ask. I was a coach with FLL, volunteer, and now a Judge at one of the State Competitions!

Re: My daughter is very interested in robotics and I have a question
 

wow...... this thread was started ages ago...... whos keeping it alive? *looks around* is it YOU???