Vortex : The Programable Robot Toy

Parents are always looking for toys to keep children amused, entertained and if possible learning skills. A whole industry of educational toys makes its living off this desire. The newest addition to the market is likely to be a robot. This little robot is designed with four in built games that children can play, plus with the ability to be paired with a smartphone and programmed. Called Vortex it is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

The makers of Vortex are a company called DFRobot, based in Shanghai. DFRobot specializes in developing robotics and open source hardware for the maker community. With the Vortex children will be able to drag and drop modules to enable the robot to do what they wish. The Arduino-based robot runs on four AA batteries and can run for 40 to 90 minutes based on the activities that it has been programmed to perform.

A truly interesting science project, the general activities that Vortex can perform include picking its way through obstacles, detecting lines, and talking in response to verbal stimuli. Different combinations allow the robot to play different games with the children. The four games added to the basic Vortex model include Bumping Fight, Virtual Golf, Driving and Robot Soccer. Vortex can be expanded with other sensors, Ryan Daws said, for temperature, sound, accelerometer, gyroscope, ultrasonic, touch sensor, and more via the I2C socket.