Arduino Learning Kit "open source mindstorms"

[sommers9]

Hi all,

Project background:

As a kid I've always wanted a set of Lego Mindstorms (Lego NXT at the time), however these sets cost about 300eu and basically are closed source, so you can't really add any sensors of your own. I think this is beyond the budget of a regular consumer and small institutions as a local primary/secondary school.

I've seen endless amounts of Arduino starter kits, but not a lot of them I would consider usable for children that barely have knowledge of programming and electronics.

My idea:

I want to do an open-source project that aims to create a child-friendly (entry level) set of "controller, actuators and sensors". My goal is to improve/aid technical education at a low price point.
I want to make it open-source so the community can help me as well as reach a bigger audience. It would be nice if tutors can share and expand the material made for classes using this project.

This product would be child/starter friendly since:

• No electronic knowledge: The connectors are "one-way" to avoid inverting power rails, addons are easy to connect.
• No programming knowledge: Visual programming by connecting "blocks".
• Cheap "mechanical parts": aim to be 'compatible' with lego bricks, meccano and instructions for creating mechanic constructions with chopsticks, 3D printer or cardboard.
• Guide/textbook (PDF?) with a slow learning curve and fun tests/examples with some "theory" parts that are written in a child-friendly manner.

The end product should be an affordable and ready to use product for any institution or consumer. However, it's most likely the project will be a prototype and could be launched through crowd funding or to be launched in co-operation with a company (to be able to mass produce it and suppress the manufacturing costs per unit).

Planning

1. Research & brainstorming, check other products in the market, check which sensors/actuators are most interesting.
2. Electronic design: Controller board, programming circuit, power circuit, sensors/actuators.
3. Mechanic design: Design a shell around the controller, sensors/actuators, with mounting options.
4. Software design: Most likely use and/or expand a current "Arduino visual programming" language.
5. Prototype 1, change & improve to reach prototype 2.
6. Create educational material, preview projects as well as guide/manual/textbook.
7. Launch. Kickstarter/sell-whitelabel, contact educational institutions to sell sets. Create a webpage were people (or educators) can put on their own material/example projects.

My questions

• What is your general idea? Do you think it would be useful (or are there already enough things like this?) and people could get 'excited' for it (also to help develop it)? Would you buy it (at what price?)
• What do you think is important in such product?
• What do you think is going to be the biggest problem in this project?*

I've attached some images of projects that exist, so you can get an basic idea of the project.
Also, all other posts in this subforum seem to be different, though I think "Project Guidance" is spot-on for this post, but let me know if not.

• I've finished my 'Embedded Systems' scholarship and I'm able to design/create software, PCB's and 3D drawings.

[pert]

I think a "Lego" sort of product at a low price point with lots of available components is very much needed. I'm not sure about another "Grove" type of product. Really once you want to go beyond what's available already in the "Grove" space you might as well just use solderless breadboards and jumpers.

I see these "Lego" type products pop up from time to time but none of them seem like they'd allow the average kid to really be able to dig in deep without spending a ton of money. LittleBits was getting a lot of hype for a while but the kits really only allowed you to build a few different configurations so I think most kids would quickly get bored with it. The additional parts were very expensive ("wire module" for $7!!!) so it wasn't really feasible to get creative with it.

I think for you to make something better and cheaper than what exists will only be possible if you can do mass manufacturing, but mass manufacturing is only possible if you either have a lot of investment or a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign.

I'd recommend you to closely study the other products in this space, both the ones that made it to market as well as the ones that didn't. I already mentioned LittleBits, another is LightUp. Arduino even had a try at a "Grove" type product, the ESLOV but their crowdfunding campaign didn't go well.

[sommers9]

Hmm, yes I think the power of lego mindstorms is that you can add them to your existing Lego creations to make them move. That's something I'm really missing on most other kits (especially the "magnetic connections" are a con here).

I think I could use prefab bluetooth modules and maybe even an Arduino and just solder them on an adapter board. Probably battery powered at the moment, maybe later add charging circuitry etc.
The enclosure could be 3D printed for now. Maybe I should just have a go at it in one of those 3D cad design programs.

Mass manufacturing is quite a difficult goal to reach, certainly from here.
I think I should aim at creating a prototype (and ask feedback from an university) and then try to sell/fund this through an university/school.

I think there are quite some schools having issues with finding an easy introduction to engineering.
When the product really is ready to use, I could check out the consumer market, to further fund mass production etc.

I might just make a prototype set (with the same sensors/actuators as mindstorms), just to see how many it would cost in production. I would aim for about 60-80eu since it just feels a lot less than 300eu for a mindstorms set.