It’s been a few years, however IEEE Spectrum Robot gift guide back in 2022! We’ve got all kinds of new robots, and now is an excellent time to buy one (or a dozen), because several of them are on sale this week. We’ve tried to focus on consumer bots that are already available (or that you can at least order), but depending on when you read this guide, the prices we have here may not be up to date, and we don’t take shipping into account.
And if these bots aren’t enough for you, many of our picks from years past are still available: check out our guides from 2019And the 2018And the 2017And the 2016And the 2015And the 2014And the 2013And the 2012. And as always, if you have suggestions you’d like to share, post a comment to help the rest of us find the perfect robot gift.
Lego robot kits
Lego has decided to discontinue its Mindstorms classic robot sets, but they will be supported for another two years and this is your last chance to buy one. If you like Lego’s approach to robotics education but don’t want to invest in a system at the end of its life, Lego also makes an education kit called mounting which share many hardware and software features for students in grades six through eight.
$360 – $385 USD
Puzzle Games
Sphero Indi
Indy is an intelligent educational robot designed to teach screen-free problem-solving and coding to children up to 4 years old, using a small wheeled robot with a color sensor and a system of colored ribbons that command the robot to perform various behaviours. There’s also an app for accessing more options, and Sphero has even more robots to choose from once your child is ready for something more.
$110
Sphero | Amazon
Nibble and Beetle
Petoi robot quad kits are a great (and relatively affordable) way to get started with two legged robots. Whether you go with Nybble the cat or Bittle the dog, you can do some easy hardware assembly and then take advantage of a host of friendly software tools to get your little friend running around doing tricks.
$220 – $260 USD
Petoy
iRobot root
The root of educational robotics It has a long and noble history, and iRobot has built on that to create an inexpensive platform to help kids learn to code starting at the age of four. The more expensive ones include an RGB sensor, a programmable eraser, and the ability to stick to and move around on vertical whiteboards.
100 – 250 USD
iRobot
Turtle Bot 4
The latest generation TurtleBot from Clearpath, iRobot and Open Robotics is a powerful and versatile ROS (Robot Operating System) platform for product research and development. For aspiring roboticists at an undergraduate and possibly high school level, the Turtle Bot 4 As good as it gets unless you want to spend more. And the fact that TurtleBots is in such wide use means that if you need some help, the ROS community will (hopefully) have your back.
$1,200 – $1,900
RoboShop
iRobot Create 3
Newly updated just last year, Create iRobot 3 is the perfect platform for people who want to build their own bot, but aren’t All from their bot. The sturdy portable base is basically a Roomba without the cleaning parts, and it’s easy to add your own devices on top. ROS 2 is running, but you can start with Python.
$300
iRobot
mini popper
Mini Pupper is one of the best ways to get started with ROS. This legged robot is open source, and runs ROS on a Raspberry Pi, which makes it very affordable if you have your own board. Even if you don’t, the Mini Pupper kit is very affordable for what you get, and it’s a fun hardware project if you decide to save a little extra cash by putting it together yourself.
400 – 585 USD
Mangdang
luxonis ray
I’m not sure if the world is ready for ROS 2 yet, but you can get there opinion, which combines a pocket-sized mobile robot, a pair of depth cameras, and an onboard computer for a very cheap price. The app support means that Rae can do great things out of the box, but it’s easy to get more in-depth with it, too. Rae will be delivered as early as next year, but it’s cool to think a Kickstarter IOU is a perfectly acceptable gift.
$400
Kickstarter
Roomba combo j7 +
iRobot’s new best in class wet sweeping and mopping kit j7 + roomba It will make your floors sparkling clean, except for the carpet, and it’s smart enough not to try to shine it because it will cleverly lift the wet mop out of the way. It’s also connected to the cloud and offloads itself. You’ll have to put water in them if you want to wipe, but it’s better than wiping yourself.
$900
iRobot
Neato D9
Neato robots may not be quite as spread out as the Roomba, but they are excellent vacuums, and they use a level lidar system for obstacle avoidance and map making. The nice thing about lidar (besides the fact that it works in complete darkness) is that Neato robots have no cameras whatsoever and aren’t physically able to gather images of you or your home.
$300
Neato Robotics
intonation
How often do you find an affordable, useful, reliable, durable and fully autonomous home robot? Not often! But intonation All of these things: Powered entirely by the sun, it slowly wanders around your garden, beating down weeds as they sprout while avoiding mature plants. All you have to do is make sure he can’t escape, then just let him go and forget about him for months at a time.
$ 200
intonation
Amazon Astro
If you like the idea of having a semi-autonomous mobile robot with a direct link to Amazon that roams your house trying to be helpful, then Amazon Astro It may not sound like a terrible idea. You’ll have to apply to get one, and it looks more like shareware, but it could be fun, I guess?
1000 dollars
Amazon
Skydio 2+
The Skydio 2+ It is an incremental (but important) update to the Skydio 2 drone, with its advanced magical obstacle avoidance abilities and very impressive tracking skills. There are many cheaper, more portable drones out there, and if flying is your thing, get one of these. But if you love photography, the Skydio 2+ is the drone you’ll want to fly.
$900
Skidio
DJI FPV
We had a blast flying DJI’s FPV drone. The VR system is exhilarating and the drone is easy to fly even for FPV beginners, yet powerful enough to grow along with your piloting skills. Just don’t be cocky, or you’ll break it. Don’t ask me how I know this.
$900
DJI
Eliq
Eliq It is a more practical embodied voice assistant than a smart speaker. It’s designed for seniors who may be spending a lot of time alone at home, and can help with a range of things, including health and wellness tasks and connecting with friends and family. ElliQ costs $250 upfront, plus a $30-$40 monthly subscription.
$250 or more
Eliq
Moxy
Not all robots for kids are designed to teach them to code: Moxy It helps “support children’s social-emotional development through play.” The carefully designed and coordinated interaction between Moxie and babies helps them communicate and build social skills in a friendly and engaging way. Note that Moxie also requires a $40 monthly subscription fee.
$800
embodied
Betty Cobo
What is Qoobo? It’s “the pillow-tail that heals your heart,” according to the people who made it. According to us, it’s a round cushion of fur that responds to your touch by wagging its tail, like a single-purpose cat. It’s a mystery tail treat!
$130
Qoobo | Amazon
Go1 console
Before you decide on a real dog, consider this Go1 console While that. Sure, it’s pricey, but you know what? So are real dogs. And unlike a real dog, you only need to walk the Go1 when You are Feel it, and you can turn it off and store it in a closet or under the bed whenever you want. For a dynamic, full-featured robot, it’s amazingly cheap, just keep in mind that shipping is $1,000.
$2,700
Unitry
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