He has a funny walk and a permanently surprised expression but he may soon be making waves in robotics and mechanics education. Innovative roboticists at Robotical would like to introduce Marty, a fully programmable wifi enabled walking, teaching robot.
A toy for every age
Originally developed a kids’ educational toy, Marty the Robot can be used to teach almost anyone who is willing to learn the ins and outs of robotics, mechanical engineering, electronics and more. All wrapped together in a friendly-faced package, Robotical’s Marty can bust of some fresh dance moves, is capable of housing a camera, and most importantly, has all 3D printable parts, allowing him to be completely customizable.
Helping hand
Robotical needs help, however, in order to bring Marty the Robot to schools, universities and even homes. Having already raised 57% of their £50,000 goal on Indiegogo with only 18 days to go, the team at Robotical are excited to see where Marty will go in the future. Watch Robotical’s campaign video below and then continue reading to learn more about Marty the Robot.
What separates Marty the Robot from other children’s teaching robots is not only his ability to work with kid-friendly coding programs like Scratch, but also his unique, three motor and spring leg design. Marty is expertly designed by roboticists, so his unique legs work to lower production costs, extend battery life and ultimately, allow for easier use and control. With these legs, Marty is able to kick, turn, and walk, all with great ease.
Make him your own
Although Marty is the original robot of his kind, users can customize their own bots right down to the name. Because all of the assembled parts are 3D printable, users are given plenty of freedom in how they choose to design their versions of Marty. As previously stated, Marty can be controlled over wifi and programmed right away. More advanced users, however, can upgrade Marty themselves, as he is compatible with Raspberry Pi. Additionally, once students learn to program on Scratch, they can move on to more powerful programming languages such as Python and C++.
Developer Dr. Alexander Enoch spent a year and a half bringing Marty to life while working on a robotics PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Enoch and the Robotical team have already produced several successful prototypes of Marty and now their next step is to make kits for classrooms and labs, which they hope to achieve through support on their Indiegogo campaign. Be sure to stay tuned on 3D Printing Industry to find out when Marty the Robot goes live. We’re certainly excited to see where this adorable bot ends up next. In the meantime, visit the Robotical website to learn more.
