Smart Robot Car Kit with ArduinoIDE Robot Kit with 4 Wheel Drive,Board,Ultrasonic Sensor, Infrared Tracking Module (No Welding Required)

grow up in the era of Radio Shack and this one is one further step for kids to learn electronic.

I bought this as a gift for my 15 year old cousin and he had a good time assembling it. My only problem is the battery in the remote died the day he got it, so he hasn’t been able to play with it at all since assembly.

As received, the plastic case hinge was broken to let the parts fall out. I purchase a lot of kits and it isn't unusual to have broken hinges, but why they can't learn to use better hinges or just add an extra hinge. Well, it is just a case and that does not affect the rating, but read on...Design-wise, it is a great kit. A personal computer would be needed for loading the program, but otherwise everything else is included to build it in a fun-filled few hours. Even batteries are included. It can be controlled by included infrared remote controller, Bluetooth (Android app), or ultrasonic transducer. It is extensible because it uses Arduino and you can write your own program, if desired, by modifying many sample codes they provide. It is a fantastic way to learn how to assemble a kit and to optionally learn programming.The printed manuals are too small, but the CD-ROM contains the same information and it can be read enlarged on a computer. Programs are easy to load, but customizing the code will need some programming knowledge.The bad: quality control. The circuit board was not functional due to cold solder joints and even missing solder in some places. Some bad-looking joints were actually making sufficient contacts, but some were either completely open or had high resistance. Since this kit is supposed not to require soldering, this would classify it as defective and young children will not be able to make it functional.The good: On the other hand, the same soldering defects would be a great leaning experience, however unintentional, for those who can troubleshoot and repair the solder joints. With good adult supervision this could be a good way to teach children about electronics.

This robotics build ended up being incredibly difficult, for an end product that didn't work for us.[As a side note, our family is heavily involved with robotics, and mentors two award-winning teams, one of which has gone one to win second place in the world three times in a row in its particular platform. So we are EXTREMELY adept at working with robots, robotics, robot parts, programming, etc. We teach classes to multiple age groups for several types of platforms, using tons of different parts and pieces from several different companies. We can usually figure things out pretty quickly.]First of all, the instructions were confusing. Nothing is labeled. The instructions DO have pictures, but depending on who is building the car, it can get muddled. Each step of the instructions is very terse, with few deeper explanatory steps.This product is listed as a learning tool for beginners and experienced builders alike. So, we had an experienced twelve-year-old attempt this (someone who has done robotics, and is a burgeoning mechanical engineer, builds robots, and programs them). He had no help whatsoever (as an aside, this build is supposed to be devoid of any soldering; that's part of its marketing, so...no soldering). The right side works, the left side does not. The car goes in circles.This was a tough project for the twelve-year-old, and this is a kid who knows robots backwards and forwards. I can't say I'd recommend it for a beginner, unless there's a ton of oversight. And even then, I'm not sure the thing will work perfectly, as ours does not. The troubleshooting guide, which has egregious spelling and grammar mistakes, hasn't helped at all. We even tried several different battery types, and weirdly enough, the only batteries that worked were the batteries that came with the set. We tightened everything; we checked the connections.I can say that this would frustrate someone who didn't know that much about robotics. I'm not sure who it's marketed to, since a true beginner probably wouldn't be able to put the car together by him/herself, and someone experienced might find it either too simplistic, or, if he or she runs into the same problems we had, very annoying.This is definitely not for everyone. Not for us. Based on my experience, I can't recommend it.

this looks like a great kit, and a number of the parts are standard Arduino goodies... however, don't expect this kit to work out of the box without some preparation and fixes that are due to QC problems at the manufacturer's assembly stage...to whit:1. numerous cold solder joints on the main board of the auto (at least two on each the headlight/turn light LED mount points)2. cold solder joint at the key switch3. cold solder joint at the ASL (avoidance system) GND pin4. cold solder joint at the + pin of the motor drive power supply5. cold solder joint at R4 on the motor board, w/a deformed resistor lead6. bent pins on the motor board topside and underneath (see pics); this could be very problematic; there was no reason for this if proper packing had been used; box was not crushed - this happened at point of packingone star for including all partsone star for a somewhat understandable but terse assembly sheet w/pictures; however, no real explanation of operation; software is included on a CD (not many folks have CD drives any more)this kit is good for teaching youngsters to do parts inventory, and inadvertently, fixing poor manufacturing prep and assembly techniques; don't expect to get this kit working in a single afternoon

Fun car for kids to build. My younger son needed some help during assembly.

Easy to build

Very good gift item for stem related education for kids.