Tuesday 26 May 2020

Artie 3000 coding and drawing robot from Learning Resources review


AD / GIFTED

We are big advocates of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. Not only does STEM learning give the boys a worthwhile learning experience and excellent foundation for the future but it helps make learning fun. They thrive when doing STEM based learning especially when it combines interests they already enjoy with things they want to learn more about and skills they want to further develop. 

My eldest boy T is passionate about art and has developed a keen interest in coding. As such he was excited about testing out an Artie 3000 Drawing and Coding Robot (RRP £69.99) from Learning Resources


As the name suggests this cute, clever robot is a drawing and coding robot. Using coding to ‘tell’ Artie where to move he can draw. 


Designed to introduce children to coding Artie is suitable for children aged 7 and over. To have an Artie Party where children can code and draw with the innovative robot a computer, laptop or tablet with wifi is required to use him.

To make using Artie quick and easy he comes with a setup guide plus fact sheets with different lessons of varying difficulty on how to draw with Artie. It covers lesson 1 - shapes, lesson 2 - colouring and lesson 3 - games. The lesson fact sheets include tips and information about coding tile patterns.


As well as the fact sheets Artie also comes with 4 washable coloured pens in blue, green, pink and purple colours. The fact that they are washable is great just in case they accidentally mark Artie as you place the marker in the robot or if he strays from the paper so as not to permanently mark the table. Other washable markers can be used with Artie as long as they are the correct size requirements.


To use the markers with Artie, simply lift up the flap on the head and insert the marker in the hole (a marker guide can be fitted on the underside so that the marker is in the correct position for the robot to lift the pen up and down when drawing).


Connecting Artie 3000 to our chromebook was quick and easy. Thanks to inbuilt wifi it connected without any issues and we could access the Artie interface to code and draw with him. Artie 3000 does not require an internet connection however when connected and coding with Artie you cannot access other sites on the device you are using.


At 9 years old and with a little experience of coding T found using Artie 3000 easy. He started off using the pre-installed programs available in the Artie interface and then tried his hand at coding following the coding templates on the information sheets.


He found the drag and drop tiles easy to use and understood that different sections could have a loop of repeated actions. He then experimented with his own coding patterns to make his own designs. He loved that he could virtually test out his coding programs to see what drawing it would make using the ‘Simulate’ tool.


The Artie interface is great to use and T loves using Artie to code and draw. He is very proud of the fact that he can work Artie and can’t wait to show his friends Artie drawing shapes, games and patterns using coding programs he has created using the Artie interface. He has been a great asset to our home learning and a welcome fun experience during these difficult times of lockdown.


It is fun and fascinating to watch Artie draw, seeing glimpses of what he has drawn as he moves around the paper before admiring the finished picture once the coding program has run its course. 


Artie has 360 degree movement so he can move backwards, forwards and can turn and spin in any direction. His movements can be programmed to a particular distance or degree. Artie 3000’s versatile movement and the ability to set the distance and/or degree of movement or direction via the Artie interface means that Artie can draw a vast variety of pictures all you need is your imagination and an understanding of the coding tiles.

The only negative I can say about Artie 3000 is that it needed calibrating out of the box  plus a couple of times since, because even though all other requirements such as a level surface was being met, it was not drawing the correct distance and the angles were not to the correct degree. Recalibrating is easy thanks to the Artie interface. But this has frustrated T as a few of his creations have not been picture perfect because of Artie not doing the correct distance or angle of drawing. Artie has been lovingly cared for and handled gently so it is a mystery why we have to keep recalibrating the robot - perhaps he is a little temperamental.


Artie 3000 is a fantastic STEM learning tool and I Love that it is a great introduction to the idea of coding. Even though no actual coding happens it can spark an interest in learning more about coding. It is also a brilliant cause and effect toy. It is a fantastic home learning resource and has been a welcome addition to our home learning during lockdown.  Plus who doesn’t love a clever robot that can draw! Coding and creativity really do meet thanks to Artie 3000.


Learning Resources has devised a range of FREE home learning activities for 2-11s to help parents and children prepare to spend more time at home.

Visit the blog to discover activities that will help keep kids learning and engaged through meaningful play. The free family-friendly online resources include downloadable activity books for maths, science/STEM, language and reading support, animals and geography plus printable worksheets, activity sheets and play-based learning ideas to keep children busy indoors.

* We were kindly gifted the Artie 3000 in return for this review *

2 comments:

  1. Excellent, balanced review, and love the photos as well. Artie sounds a great learning tool, and a real asset during this lockdown period. Good that it works on a Chromebook too.

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  2. What a great learning tool! We used to program a little turtle to draw fractals on the screen when I was at school. This is even cooler!

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