STEM Product Review: Kamigami Robot Lina Ladybug Plus Giveaway!

Welcome back STEM Sparkers to our holiday STEM product reviews and giveaways! The product we're reviewing this week was recommended to us by a few of our engineering friends, and I have to say, it's a pretty cool STEM product: it's the the Kamigami Robot Lina Ladybug! But before we jump into this review, a little robot humor. What kind of droids live at the North Pole? Snobots! Har, har, har (groan)!

Will your kids like it and/or will you hate it?

Jack keep asking when we were going to open the plain brown shipping box that the Kamigami Robot Lina Ladybug came in. When he finally got to open it, he said, "Wow! It's awe-some!" I was excited too as we took the parts of the Lina Ladybug Robot out of their packaging, but I soon realized that the age recommendation for 8+ was pretty accurate. Jack helped me assemble our ladybug robot where he could, but Bobby and I did most of the assembling. I liked that the instructions were on a phone app with video tutorials; seeing how to snap the pieces together was very helpful. Then once it was assembled, Jack was very excited to program the ladybug robot's movement in the app and then see the robot actually move! The app was very easy to use, so even if the adult ends up assembling the toy, the younger child (say a 5 yo like Jack) should be able to play and interact with the robot through the app.

How long will it keep them entertained?

Assembling the Kamigami Robot Lina Ladybug took me somewhere between 30-45 minutes (building it reminded me of some of the mid-level Lego builds we've done), and after it was assembled, Jack played with the robot much longer than I thought (about 30 minutes). I'm sure we'll play with it some more this week, and it's cool that if you get a second Kamigami Robot, they can battle each other. Seems like many hours of battle fun.

Are they a good value?

Currently on Amazon, the Kamigami Robot Lina Ladybuy is $18.99. Looking on Walmart, the robot is a little less money at $16.99. So, the only other robots we own are a Sphero R2D2, a Disneyland R2D2, and a DIY Saltwater Robot (which maybe has become autonomous because it's disappeared, haha), so in comparison to those robots, I think this robot is a really good price. Also, the time spent building it and playing with is worth the cost.

Ninja-like STEM Skills

The ninja-like STEM skills here are pretty obvious: building/assembling and then programming/coding. The coding in the app is visual blocks, so very easy to program the robot's movements. If you want to introduce someone to robotics and coding, the Lina Ladybug robot is the perfect robot to do so. It's also great fun for mid-level or expert robot builders because the robot is pure joy; should bring a smile to any STEM toy enthusiast!

Now what you've really been waiting for STEM Spark readers! The giveaway! One lucky reader will win their own Kamigami Robot Lina Ladybug! Please use the Rafflecopter below (or link here) and please US residents/shipping addresses only! Happy holidays and STEMing dear readers!