Robonova (picture on the left taken from Hitec) is a small sized robot from Hitec. It's not your usual robotic toy, it doesn't even look like a toy. Instead it looks like something from an investigation lab. The reason for this might be because Robonova can be bought as a kit. You then have to build the robot yourself, using nothing more than a screwdriver, which makes it quite easy to build (no soldering, etc). The building part can be more rewarding than the finished robot itself. It's also a great education resource that might spark a kid's interest in robotics.
Robonova can also be bought pre-assembled, and although it's fun to build it, it's also fun to play with it. You can control it to walk, run, dance and even do cartwheels. And the best it's that it can be customized to the way you like. You can buy later on, different modules that can be easily attached to Robonova, expanding its capabilities.
For example, here's some of the sensors that can be added to Robonova:
- distance sensor
- light sensor
- touch sensor
- sound sensor
- gyroscope
- tilt sensor
- sound synthesizer
All of these can then be programmed with the supplied RoboScript programming software. The programming language should be easy to grasp to anyone willing to learn and make the robot act the way you like it. There's even an easier way to program Robonova. It's a feature called Catch & Play. With it, you can move the robot into any position (of the arm, leg, etc) and record that position, then choose another position and record it, etc. You can then link all those movements together, resulting in a smooth transition.
By using any of the optional modules, the limit is your imagination. You can program it to say something if anyone touches it, or detect if it's laying down and get back up again, detect objects, etc. Exploring all the possibilities is what makes the whole experience fun.
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