When was the last time you wished you could have a 25-inch inflatable replica of yourself? Only every day right? Well, your dreams can now become a reality because Italian company 25INCH.me allows their customers easily create a 25-inch-tall inflatable doll of themselves or anyone they like. Just head over to their website, upload a headshot and then choose a shirt, pants, shoes, and other accessories like watches, jewelry, and tattoos.
The inflatable doll is made of high-quality materials with high-resolution printing that is water resistant and designed to be inflated and deflated many times.
Your 25-inch mini me can be easily inflated with a few seconds of blowing into the air valve which is located in a sensitive area.
Each doll is priced at 29,99€ plus 12-22,00€ for shipping which comes to about $64 US. Be aware that import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. Head over to 25INCH.me for all the details.
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I have two young sons, 7 and 5, who are obsessed with building. Legos, old sets of Lincoln Logs, boxes, whatever. They are constantly building and creating things. Recently my 7 year old started getting into robots so when I saw the Meccano M.A.X. robot erector set I knew it would be a hit. I was correct.
What is it?
Well, the product name and title of this review pretty much says it all. MAX is an artificial intelligence robot erector set. There is a 66 step instruction guide to assemble MAX and there are a lot of parts, motors, bolts, nuts, etc. everything you would expect in an erector set. What makes MAX different is that once assembled, it is a fully interactive toy for your kids. Or for you if you end up not wanting to share it with the kids, or for those of you who just love building things and robots, no judgment here, this thing is pretty cool!
Hardware specs
12″ tall when assembled
332 parts
2 hand tools
1 AC/DC wall mount charger (10.4W)
1 rechargeable Ni-MH 1800mAh battery
Recommended for kids 10+ (like I said mine are 7 and 5 so they needed my help but it was a great project for us)
What’s in the box?
332 pieces, 2 hand tools (all you need to assemble), instructions, stickers for decorating MAX and a wall charge
Design and features
The build process is like most any other erector set or similar project. The pieces are dense plastic so I don’t worry about it breaking after a week of play like other products. The instructions are actually very well thought out and easy to follow, which is a great thing when you are looking at a pile of 332 pieces!
Once assembled you have to download MAX’s brain software onto the brain module. Then MAX comes to life. Once your child (or you) brings MAX to life he starts asking you questions to learn about you. This process takes about 10 minutes. After that, MAX begins to learn. It has commands that are in the instruction book that allow you to interact with him, some of which are unlocked after a period of time of interacting with it. It has built-in infrared sensors to help it avoid obstacles when it is moving around. You can ask MAX questions, ask it to deliver something using its gripping hands, ask it to tell you something interesting and a number of other things that my kids have just loved.
MAX is a great project to challenge young minds interested in S.T.E.M subjects and a great introduction to engineering and robotics projects.
What I like
Great project to work on with my kids
A toy that learns as you play with it
The sense of accomplishment my children (and I) got when MAX was built
Very reasonable price (on Amazon for $119.99 with a MSRP of $149.99)
What needs to be improved
I am not sure why you have to download the brain software after receiving it rather than it coming preloaded with it. That was a little annoying but not an issue, just delayed play time a little after building it while I installed software. Maybe Meccano is making changes to the A.I. software so when you download it you are getting the latest version, but I don’t know.
Other than that, I don’t have any complaints. We really enjoyed the build process and the fun playing with MAX and watching it learn.
Final thoughts
As with any erector set, building it is part of if not most of the fun. In the case of MAX, building it was a blast to work with my kids on but seeing MAX learn and its abilities grow has been really fun in the time we have had with it. I work a lot so I am always looking for fun projects to work on with my kids so we can spend some quality time together. When that quality time also engages their minds and imaginations and nurtures their interest in building, robotics, and science, well that’s a home run for me.
I definitely can recommend this product for kids of any age who this product fits their interest but would definitely recommend sticking with the 10+ age recommendation if they will be working on it alone. With adult supervision, it can be fun for kids of all ages but you may have to take a lot of breaks because 332 pieces is a lot for one sitting with a 7 and 5 year old!
Price: $119.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample of this product was provided by Meccano.
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Almost three years later, Makey Makey is back; new and improved. The possibilities are endless with this wildcard of a toy. Turn bananas into a xylophone, your own drawing into a touchpad, play-dough into a game controller, buckets of water into a dancing platform, or your staircase into a giant piano!
Confused? Watch this informational and awesome video made by the creators:
Makey Makey is essentially a circuit board with alligator clips that connect to your computer via USB, making any objects connected interactive and fun.
With Christmas around the corner, you and your kids will love the time you’ll be able to spend together, inventing new gadgets using your household items!
No programming knowledge is required, no software is to be installed, and Makey Makey is compatible with Mac and Windows computers.
I’ll be right back… I’m going to scroll through Facebook using marshmallows as arrow keys… and then… not… eat them when I’m done…
Get your Makey Makey for $49.93 while they’re in stock now from Amazon!
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Let me state up front that the Anki Cozmo robot is a difficult review to write. It’s not because I don’t like it (frankly, negative reviews are easy to write); it’s because I really like this robot and it does so many things—most of them silly—that I’m having a hard time deciding what to leave in and what to delete. So, let me start off the review by saying, “If you want the coolest holiday gift for 2017, this is it.”
Well, that was easy. Now for the hard part …
When I first saw Cozmo online in a series of hilarious Anki videos, I was reminded of Pixar’s Wall-E. Cozmo loosely resembles Wall-E with his various noises and pseudo-language as he expresses joy—or quite the opposite. I don’t know whether Cozmo is a he, she or it, so I will use “he” since Cozmo is a boy’s name and calling him an it robs him of his personality.
Cozmo is a small, intelligent robot that will win you over with his ability to learn and his desire to beat you in every game he plays with you. He learns and gets more competitive as you interact with him. He is self-centered, petulant, moody and lovable—much like a cat.
Cozmo knows some games and will perform some tricks right out of the box, but as you spend time with him, other games and tricks are opened up. When you play with Cozmo each day, you’re awarded play tokens. Acquire three and you can unlock what Anki calls Bonus Boxes where you can redeem rewards—sparks, games, and tricks. Sparks are like points that are used to start a game or trick with Cozmo. Different games require different amounts of Sparks. Cozmo can also earn Sparks by winning games. Sometimes Cozmo chooses a game to play and sometimes it’s up to you. Either way, he’s constantly reminding you he wants to play.
Note: I made some videos, but they don’t do justice to everything Cozmo can do. There are countless Cosmo videos on YouTube that do a better job. Plus the quality is lacking—I had to use my iPad to shoot video because the Anki app will not work in the background on a smartphone, so multitasking is not possible.
Cozmo gets bored easily and can cause mischief. He always wants to pounce on your finger, play a song or go exploring. He’s even recognized our pet dogs! Speaking of recognition, when you first unbox Cozmo, you go through this facial recognition by typing your name and letting Cozmo scan your face. A built-in camera performs the scan and then Cozmo clearly pronounces your name. Anki assures us that no personal info ever goes out and that everything is stored in Cozmo himself and not shared with anyone. Note: Should you decide, Cozmo can be easily and completely erased.
Sometimes you can play tricks on Cozmo. Either putting him upside down or rearing him up on his back wheels will upset him. He will do everything he can to right himself up. Many times, his head, lift (arms) and tread (wheels) need recalibration. This is easily done in the free iOS or Android app that must be downloaded for Cozmo to work. This app controls everything Cozmo. It tells you what he’s thinking, how to set up a game or trick, and even keeps count of the sparks left in your “bank.”
The app also lets you know then Cozmo’s battery is getting low or when he needs to be fed. It also keeps track of the three cubes which are Cozmo’s toys. These blocks have specific icons for identification. The cubes have colors that turn on and off depending on how they’re used. A blue cube means that Cozmo sees it, but a green glowing cube means that Cozmo will interact with it. Which blocks become blue or green seems to be completely random. The cubes can display many different colors during game time.
Starting Cozmo up is a multi-step affair. First, you have to place him in his base regardless of whether he’s charged or not. Then he needs to be connected to a smartphone via his own WiFi network. Once that’s done, he wakes up and rolls off the base. Usually, Cozmo needs tuning up and feeding before any activities can take place. Feeding Cozmo involves shaking a blue glowing cube until it remains bright and then letting him find it and ‘drink’ from it. Sometimes, he even gets the hiccups. Of course, it’s all for show since it has nothing to do with a charged or empty battery. But hey, it’s a pet, ya’ know?
Tuning up requires scanning Cozmo and then following instructions given by the app to “fix” him by aligning his tread wheels, calibrating his lift and adjusting his head. I not sure how necessary this procedure is, but it’s fun to do as the app asks.
Once you have Cozmo set up, you’ll want him to recognize you. If you’ve already performed facial scanning, he will see you and say your name. Sometimes, you may have to re-introduce yourself after you power him up. I told Cozmo my name was “Billy Bob” because my name is actually William Robert and it sounds better than just “Bill”.
After you play a few games and spend time with Cozmo, you collect sparks that are used as tokens to play more games. As days go by, more sparks are added and conversely, with these sparks, more games are added. Be careful though, Cozmo does not like to be ignored and will throw a fit if you don’t pay enough attention to him. He also expresses displeasure when he wants to play a game and you say no or you say yes and then beat him. However, it’s fun to watch Cozmo randomly play games and performing tricks to amuse himself (and us in the process).
There are more advanced activities for Cozmo in the Discover section of the app.
My favorite Cozmo activity is Explore Mode. This utilizes the built-in camera (what Cozmo “sees”). You see what he sees on your smartphone screen. You can then control Cozmo by moving, turning and manipulating his arms and head. Plus he will recognize a cube, human or even a pet and will greet you (or your pet) by pressing the Greet button on the screen. Cozmo can be made too either lift or roll a cube. Plus, you can drive him around using his camera as an eye. It allows you to see your surroundings from Cozmo’s viewpoint. More than once in this mode, he recognized me and said my name. I also had fun terrorizing my 75 lb dog with Cozmo driving around on the floor and seeing it from Cozmo’s point of view. My poor dog didn’t know what to make of him, so he walked away. If he had attacked Cozmo, this review may have ended quickly! You can also type anything into the app and Cozmo will say it.
Another mode for the adventurous is what the app calls Code Lab. This allows you to instruct Cozmo in different tasks by piecing together code blocks to make a program. It’s rudimentary, but it works flawlessly. Even though I don’t have a coding bone in my body, I could program simple tasks for Cozmo. I can envision kids gaining an interest in coding with this simple and intuitive game just to make Cozmo do what they want. Note: There is also a Cozmo Software Development Kit (SDK) for hard-core coders.
When you turn off the app, Cozmo lets out a disappointed sigh (or two or three) and begins snoring quite loudly. After a bit, he shuts down completely and must be re-awakened using the app’s Connect button. He then looks around and will call out your name when he recognizes you.
Cozmo is one of those intelligent toys that rewards the kid in all of us. As we spend more time with him, he becomes even more entertaining and opens up more games. I have yet to discover everything Cozmo has to offer despite the time I’ve spent with him. And isn’t that one of the joys of any toy—discovering new things about it even after hours of playtime?
Cozmo is not an inexpensive toy, but considering all he does and the hours of fun he promises in addition to learning as you play, what more can you ask for?
The Anki Cozmo robot sells for $179.99 US and is available from Amazon. I received the graphite colored Collector’s Edition, which costs the same as the white regular edition.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Anki. Please visit their site for more information and Amazon to order one.
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I remember back in 1989 when Sony introduced the first AIBO (Artificial Intelligence Robot) to the world, I thought wow I wish I could get one of those. Sadly after about six years and several iterations of the AIBO Sony discontinued the manufacturing of the AIBO. If you missed your chance to get an AIBO during the 90s and 2000s, Sony has announced the reintroduction of the AIBO. The new AIBO has a refined look from the older model but still functions on the same premise of learning through interaction with its owners. The new AIBO model ERS-1000 has a 64bit Quad-Core CPU, OLED eyes, 4 microphones and 2 cameras, it is also cute. The new AIBO is scheduled to be released January 11, 2018, for a price of approximately $1745.85 (¥198000) and you will need a basic 3-year service plan (this is used to update and grow the AIBO) that will cost approximately $793.57 (¥90000). If you want to check out this new AIBO hop on over to the AIBO Sony website.
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