Looks like a toy, behaves like a professional: 3D printable toy robot “Marty” helps anyone, especially kids, explore the field of robotics.

An Indiegogo project is raising money for the toy robot which works as an educational platform for programming.

Marty is safe for kids. Its 3D printed pieces can be assembled easily – no soldering required. Once programmed, the robot can do everything from rollerblading to soccer, and it has a very cute appearance too.

Marty’s designer, Alexander Enoch, has just finished his Ph.D. in robotics from the University of Edinburgh and is looking for ways to inspire the next generation of roboticists through his company Robotical.

Enoch’s design is modular, based on the popular Raspberry Pi. And because most parts can be 3D printed, it’s very easy to customize, recreate and modify a personalized version of Marty.

Benefits of Marty the Robot for Future Roboticists

The way Marty works is simple. Once you have ordered the set (expected in January 2017 earliest), you will find that it is shipped unassembled, and your first task is putting all 36 parts together. Or, if you have access to a 3D printer, then you may prefer to simply buy the motors and print all parts at home instead.

Once Marty has been assembled, it’s easy to program it wirelessly thanks to onboard Wi-Fi. The range of support programming languages is impressive. Kids and beginners can learn with Scratch, where coding is as simple as clicking and dragging blocks. Experienced programmers can control him using more powerful programming languages such as Python and C++, or state of the art robotics tools such as ROS. 

Marty has the potential to move legs, arms, and eyes. He can dance, kick a ball, walk and run meaning a huge appeal for younger kids, but also for college students too.

The customization potential for Marty is huge. Due to being able to 3D print the entire robot, changes can be made including fitting optional multi-core Pi processors, or cameras and sensors. By doing this, Marty can even be programmed to play robot soccer or complete complex tasks.

If you fancy giving Marty a makeover, then new legs or shoes can be printed, with an interesting suggestion being to teach the robot how to rollerblade.

Another benefit of Marty is the affordability of the robot with the cost of a set being just $125. With just 17 days left of the Indiegogo campaign, Enoch has raised 58% of his £50,000 goal. If you want a Marty of your own, then make sure to back Enoch’s project here.

(Source: psfk)