Classic toy brand Meccano unveils high-tech 'build your own robot' kit

Classic toy brand Meccano has created a make-your-own robot kit by combining its building pieces with programmable software.

The Standard was given a sneak peek at its latest “Meccanoid” at the CES show.

The G16 kit of parts, including the famous plastic building pieces and electrical components, is meant to get children learning and building through technology and programming.

The robot, which has changing eye colours, can be made to dance, sing, navigate obstacle courses and interact with other robots.

Meccanoid G16 comes in 2ft and 4ft tall versions and there is also a dinosaur in the range that can be put into a security mode to guard possessions like a mechanised watchdog.

The G16 includes voice recognition for the owner to teach the robot how to speak, plus memory for it to be trained to perform tasks such as giving high fives or dancing a waltz.

Meccanoids are programmed via a push-button pad on the robot’s chest and a “learned motion” function to mimic speech and movement, or it can be controlled via an iPad app.

Owners can also customise the robot with extra Meccano pieces to be as big as they want and the software can be programmed in any language.

The Meccano brand, founded in Britain in 1898, was bought by Canadian firm Spin Master three years ago.

Tara Tucker, Spin Master’s vice-president, said: “The Meccanoid comes with its own ‘Meccabrain’ and he’s got lots of content, from telling jokes to dance moves and high fives.

“There’s also charades and a tutoring mode where he can teach you Spanish.

“It’s teaching young creators how to programme and how to build their own robot.”

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