The Future of 10 Robot Gift Guide 2023
After a few years, the IEEE Spectrum Robot Gift Guide is returning for 2023! We now have a wide variety of new robots, and this week is an excellent opportunity to purchase one (or a dozen), as many of them are on sale.
We made an effort to concentrate on consumer that are now on the market (or that you can at least order); however, depending on when you read this guide, the prices listed here may need to be updated, and we need to factor in shipping costs.
Several of our earlier top picks are still available if you think you need more than these robots. For further information, see our guides from 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2012. Please don’t hesitate to comment if you have any suggestions to assist the rest of us in finding the perfect gift.
Lego Robotics Kits
This is your final chance to purchase one of Lego’s iconic Mindstorms robotics kits; They will, nevertheless, receive support for a few more years.
Lego also produces an educational kit called Spike that shares many of the hardware and software capabilities for students in grades 6 to 8, so if you like Lego’s approach to robotics education but don’t want to spend money on a system that will quickly become out-of-date, you have those options.
Sphero Indi
Innovative educational robot Indi teaches problem-solving using a small wheeled robot with a display, teaching screenless coding to children as young as four colour sensors and a system of coloured strips that command to perform various activities.
When your child is ready for anything more, there is also an app to access more alternatives, and Sphero offers other to choose from.
Nybble and Bittle
The quadruped robot kits from Petoi are a cute (and reasonably priced) way to get into legged robotics.
Whether you choose Nybble the cat or Bittle, the dog, you will need to quickly assemble some hardware before using several helpful software tools to get your small pet moving and performing tricks.
iRobot Root
iRobot has built on the long and honourable history of Root educational robots to develop a low-cost platform to assist children in learning to code as early as age 4.
Root comes in two versions; the more expensive one has a customizable eraser, an RGB sensor, and the capacity to adhere to and move around on vertical whiteboards.
TurtleBot 4
A robust and adaptable Research and product development platform using the Robot Operating System (ROS) is the most recent TurtleBot from Clearpath, iRobot, and Open Robotics.
The Turtlebot 4 is about as good as it gets for budding roboticists in university and possibly high school unless you want to pay an order of magnitude more. And because TurtleBots are so widely used, the ROS community will (hopefully) support you if you need assistance.
iRobot Create 3
IRobot’s Create 3, newly updated last year, is the ideal platform for people who want to construct but not the entire robot.
Without the cleaning components, the rigid transportable base is simply a Roomba, and putting more hardware on top is simple. ROS 2 is supported. However, Python is an excellent place to start.
Mini Pupper
One of the cutest ways to begin with ROS is with Mini Pupper. If you already have a Raspberry Pi, this open-source, four-legged robot becomes even more economical.
Even if you don’t, the Mini Pupper kit is incredibly inexpensive for what you receive and is a fun hardware project if you build it yourself to save some extra money.
Luxonic Rae
I’m curious if the world is prepared for ROS 2, but Rae combines a pocket-sized mobile robot with a pair of depth cameras, and an onboard computer startlingly inexpensively can get you there.
Rae has app support, so it can already do some great things, but it’s also simple to delve deeper into. Rae will be delivered in the first few months of 2019, but it’s significant enough that we believe an IOU from Kickstarter is an excellent present.
Roomba Combo j7+
The latest and best fully autonomous vacuuming and wet-mopping machine from iRobot is called the j7+. Except for carpet, which will carefully raise the wet mop up and out of the way to avoid, Roomba will clean and shine your floors.
Additionally, it empties itself and is cloud-connected. If you want it to mop, you’ll need to add water, but that’s still far superior to mopping by hand.
Neato D9
Though less common than Roombas, Neato’s vacuums are excellent and use a planar lidar system to avoid obstacles and create maps. The benefit of lidar is that Neato lack any cameras and, therefore, cannot take pictures of you or your house, in addition to the fact that it operates in complete darkness.
Tertill
How frequently do you come across an autonomous, inexpensive, practical, robust, and beneficial household? Rarely! Tertill, however, is all of these things and more. It is entirely solar-powered and gently prowls across your garden, whacking weeds as they emerge and avoiding your mature plants. Let it go, and don’t think about it for a few months after making sure it can’t escape.
Amazon Astro
Astro from Amazon might sound like a good idea if you enjoy the notion of a mobile, semi-autonomous with a direct connection to Amazon moving around your home and attempting to be helpful. You’ll need to apply for one, and it seems more like a beta programme, but it would be entertaining.
Skydio 2+
With its miraculously cutting-edge obstacle avoidance and awe-inspiring tracking abilities, An incremental (yet significant) update to the Skydio 2 drone is the Skydio 2+. If flying is your thing, buy one of the numerous more affordable and portable available drones. The Skydio 2+, on the other hand, is the drone you want to fly if filming is your thing.
DJI FPV
Flying DJI’s FPV drone was a blast. Even for FPV beginners, the drone is simple to operate, and the VR system is thrilling, but it is also powerful enough to advance your piloting abilities. Just keep your ego in check, or you’ll crash it. Do not inquire as to how I know this.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
