{"video_id":"octsNiMctvI","title":"mBot S.T.E.M. Educational Robot - Great intro to robotics?","channel":"Linus Tech Tips","show":"Linus Tech Tips","published_at":"2016-05-06T14:53:29Z","duration_s":643,"segments":[{"start_s":0.16,"end_s":6.879,"text":"Ever since I and the rest of Linus Media Group signed up for CES 2014, I've","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.88,"end_s":11.599,"text":"received hundreds, perhaps thousands of spammy promotional emails. It's mostly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.36,"end_s":15.759,"text":"nonsense and garbage products, and I've been clearing it out as usual when one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":13.599,"end_s":20.64,"text":"of them finally caught my eye. Meet the Embot, a $49 STEM educational robot for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":18.96,"end_s":24.8,"text":"children. I've been interested in robotics ever since I was a kid. So,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":22.64,"end_s":49.2,"text":"let's find out if the Embot can live up to its promise of one robot per child.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":49.2,"end_s":56.48,"text":"First things first, $49 is just the Kickstarter price. If you want an Embot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":53.68,"end_s":61.84,"text":"today, it'll cost you $79. That doesn't include shipping. And on top of that, I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":58.399,"end_s":64.239,"text":"had to pay DHL $20 in import fees from","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.84,"end_s":67.92,"text":"Taiwan. And I'm not the only one. Anyway, let's take a look at what we get","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.76,"end_s":71.2,"text":"in the box. There's the MCore microchip, which is the brain of the robot,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":69.68,"end_s":76.32,"text":"ultrasonic and light sensors, a Bluetooth module if you got the Bluetooth version, two gears that will","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":74.24,"end_s":79.759,"text":"be used as wheels, two motors to power the wheels, a little ball wheel, a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":78.159,"end_s":84.159,"text":"battery pack, a single piece aluminum chassis, an IR remote with no included","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":82.24,"end_s":88.479,"text":"battery, a testing mat, a motor shaft repair kit, an instructional booklet, a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":86.64,"end_s":92.96,"text":"screwdriver, and some screws, bolts, and cables. Assembly is supposed to take 10","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":90.88,"end_s":96.68,"text":"easy minutes, but it took me longer for a couple of reasons. Like, why are the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":95.119,"end_s":100.72,"text":"instructions supposed to be read clockwise? Also, the included","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.64,"end_s":104.4,"text":"screwdriver is only compatible with one type of screw. There's no easy way to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":102.64,"end_s":106.96,"text":"tighten the bolts, and the instructions fail to mention that there's a hex","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":105.759,"end_s":111.04,"text":"wrench on the other side of the screwdriver bit. Once the MCore","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":109.119,"end_s":115.2,"text":"microchip has been screwed on, detaching the velcroed on battery pack and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":113.2,"end_s":119.36,"text":"managing cables is quite difficult since there's not much room. Also, one of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":117.119,"end_s":123.52,"text":"wires on one of my motors was completely detached. This was an easy fix for me,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":121.759,"end_s":127.52,"text":"but I did some research and it turns out the quality assurance on the motors in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":125.36,"end_s":131.2,"text":"particular has been a problem for Make Block before. Anyway, with the robot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":129.599,"end_s":134.72,"text":"assembled, it's finally time to download and install the MBLOC software. But","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":133.44,"end_s":139.12,"text":"first, you have to manually install Adobe Air if you don't have it already.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":136.879,"end_s":142.64,"text":"Then you can install the MBLOC software. But according to the video instructions,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":140.959,"end_s":146.8,"text":"before I can get to programming, there's still more I need to do. First, I need","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":144.8,"end_s":151.599,"text":"to select the MBOT board. Then select the MBOT extension. Then you have to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":148.48,"end_s":153.36,"text":"select COM 28 as the serial port. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":151.599,"end_s":158.4,"text":"looked everywhere for COM28 until realizing that it's referring to a USB","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":155.44,"end_s":162.64,"text":"port and COM 4 works just as well. And then you have to update the firmware.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":161.04,"end_s":167.2,"text":"And after that, you still have to download, install, and link Arduino","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":165.04,"end_s":171.44,"text":"drivers until finally you can start uploading code to the MBOT. That's a lot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":169.76,"end_s":175.76,"text":"of steps to go through before you've even started programming. Sure, it all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":173.599,"end_s":180.08,"text":"seems obvious once you know what to do, but the Embot is supposed to be a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.44,"end_s":184.48,"text":"starter robot for children. Kids and Linus Media Group employees need very","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":182.4,"end_s":189.28,"text":"clear, comprehensive instructions with as few steps and as little frustration","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":186.72,"end_s":192.72,"text":"as possible. Anyway, I finally got to programming with the MBLOCK software.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.879,"end_s":197.519,"text":"Now, this is actually a modified version of Scratch, which was developed by MIT","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":195.28,"end_s":200.64,"text":"to teach kids about programming. Scratch is pretty cool, and it reminds me of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.04,"end_s":204.4,"text":"when I was a kid learning programming with Game Maker 5. The Scratch","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":202.72,"end_s":208.879,"text":"programming automatically converts itself into Arduino code which is ready","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":206.8,"end_s":212.72,"text":"to be uploaded onto the embot. I think that's pretty cool since it makes it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":210.319,"end_s":218.08,"text":"easy to see exactly what the graphical scratch programming looks like in real","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":215.44,"end_s":222.0,"text":"textbased code. Anyway, I went through all the videos and programmed the embot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":220.159,"end_s":226.4,"text":"as instructed and I tried a bunch of my own programming. Programming the embot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":224.0,"end_s":230.56,"text":"is mostly straightforward, but only when it works. More on that later. The video","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":228.64,"end_s":234.319,"text":"tutorials give you a few ideas of what the embot can do, but I ran out of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":232.56,"end_s":238.319,"text":"tutorials quickly, and I found myself thinking, \"Is that all?\" The most","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":236.72,"end_s":242.64,"text":"interesting things you can do, in no particular order, are follow a line,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.239,"end_s":246.799,"text":"crudely, avoid obstacles, and remote control the ambot with the remote or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":244.72,"end_s":250.08,"text":"Bluetooth. You can also make colored LEDs flash and make noise with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":248.72,"end_s":254.4,"text":"buzzer, but you don't really need a robot for that. And you can detect the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":252.4,"end_s":258.88,"text":"ambient brightness of the room with the included light sensor on the M core, but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":257.199,"end_s":262.4,"text":"I don't really see the point. And even the associated tutorial doesn't do","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":260.799,"end_s":266.96,"text":"anything with it except display the value on screen. I feel like it would","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":264.56,"end_s":271.12,"text":"have been better to use this in place of the current two bottom-mounted line","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":268.96,"end_s":278.24,"text":"following light sensors, which can only detect black or white, meaning that it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":273.759,"end_s":281.04,"text":"only has four states, zero, 1, 2, and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":278.24,"end_s":285.28,"text":"three. This makes smooth PID line following impossible. Also, I don't see","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":283.44,"end_s":290.479,"text":"that there's any way to do more than one thing at a time, like flashing LEDs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":287.6,"end_s":294.16,"text":"while simultaneously line following. Two different things which shouldn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":291.919,"end_s":298.32,"text":"interfere, but they do. It all gets lumped together. This is because of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":296.16,"end_s":302.56,"text":"decision to base the embot on Arduino, which doesn't support multi-threading.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":300.16,"end_s":306.479,"text":"Bummer. I mean, maybe this is all just an issue of expectation management. The","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":304.72,"end_s":309.919,"text":"Kickstarter campaign really had me excited for the Embot, but you need","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":308.0,"end_s":314.24,"text":"additional hardware to do some of the cool things they show off. The stock","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":311.84,"end_s":318.4,"text":"Embot only assembles in one way, and it comes with just two motors for the two","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":316.0,"end_s":322.639,"text":"wheels, though the RJ25 ports can support more motors. If you want extra","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":320.32,"end_s":325.44,"text":"sensors or a robotic ARM for your Embot, you'll have to buy those. This is par","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":324.32,"end_s":329.52,"text":"for the course when it comes to robotics, but because of the Embot's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":327.44,"end_s":333.68,"text":"single piece aluminum chassis, it's not nearly as modular as other robotics","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":331.36,"end_s":338.08,"text":"kits. This may be a good or a bad thing depending upon what you want the MBOT","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":335.52,"end_s":342.32,"text":"for. The hardware is fine. It's the MB block software that has issues. It was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":340.4,"end_s":346.4,"text":"frustrating to install and even more frustrating to use. Sometimes the MBOT","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":344.639,"end_s":350.56,"text":"wouldn't be detected and sometimes it wouldn't accept code. And here's a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":348.479,"end_s":355.039,"text":"strange problem. It seems like after you upload your first Arduino code to the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":352.32,"end_s":358.96,"text":"MBOT, certain Scratch script modules no longer work, even though they previously","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":357.12,"end_s":363.44,"text":"did work, as shown in the video tutorials. Also, at some point I lost","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":361.52,"end_s":367.759,"text":"the ability to upload code from my work computer completely. I kept getting this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":365.84,"end_s":371.759,"text":"error. Also, I could never get the ultrasonic sensor to work. No matter","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":369.6,"end_s":376.4,"text":"what computer I used, I kept getting the error undefined reference to count pulse","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":373.84,"end_s":380.319,"text":"ASM. I told make block about my software problems and they quickly updated the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":378.24,"end_s":384.88,"text":"software. Now the ultrasonic sensor works and I can upload code from my work","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":382.56,"end_s":388.8,"text":"computer again. That's great. But then all my LED programming became","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":386.56,"end_s":392.72,"text":"non-functional and I had to redo it. There are still other issues with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":390.639,"end_s":397.199,"text":"software. I sincerely hope that these remaining problems can also be resolved.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":395.12,"end_s":401.68,"text":"If they are, the MBOT could be a worthwhile purchase. Overall, I spent","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":399.44,"end_s":405.68,"text":"more time trying to get the MBOT to work than I did actually programming and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":403.44,"end_s":409.68,"text":"using it. Now, there's a graphic on the Kickstarter page favorably comparing the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":407.759,"end_s":413.6,"text":"MBOT to three other competing robotic systems. At first glance, it looks like","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":411.44,"end_s":417.919,"text":"the MBOT is clearly superior. Then, you look a little closer and realize, wait a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":415.6,"end_s":421.44,"text":"minute, an RGB LED isn't a sensor. Neither is a buzzer. And these other","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":419.599,"end_s":425.039,"text":"robots are poorly represented. For example, the Lego Mindstorm's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":422.96,"end_s":428.8,"text":"educational base set has a ton of stuff not listed in this graphic. There's a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":426.88,"end_s":433.28,"text":"touch sensor, lots of gears, wheels, and beams, an integrated display with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":430.639,"end_s":437.84,"text":"buttons, a speaker, and enclosed PCP, and three servo motors with built-in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":435.599,"end_s":441.599,"text":"tachometers for a total of nearly 500 parts with nearly unlimited ways to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":439.84,"end_s":447.28,"text":"assemble it all. Of course, it's a more expensive $250, and this came out 8","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":444.56,"end_s":451.44,"text":"years ago. The Parallax Arduino Shield seems like a much more fair comparison,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":449.52,"end_s":455.36,"text":"and it certainly looks like the Embot has much better hardware for less money,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":453.68,"end_s":459.199,"text":"but I can't say for sure since I've never used the Parallax Arduino Shield","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":457.12,"end_s":464.16,"text":"robot kit. I've also never used the VEX IQ robot. But hey, VEX, Parallax, Lego","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":462.16,"end_s":469.039,"text":"Tetricx. If you guys want to send any of your robots to us for a review, go right","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":466.319,"end_s":474.639,"text":"ahead. I'll review it. Get in here. So, anyway, here's the question. If the MBOT","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":471.44,"end_s":476.16,"text":"really was $50 total, and if all the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":474.639,"end_s":481.759,"text":"problems with the software were resolved, would the MBOT be a worthwhile","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":478.8,"end_s":485.68,"text":"purchase? Sure. At that point, the only issue I can see is that any kid who's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":483.68,"end_s":489.599,"text":"really interested in robotics is going to quickly outgrow the Embot because of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":487.52,"end_s":494.24,"text":"its limited hardware and singular method of construction. That makes a product","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":491.84,"end_s":497.599,"text":"like the Embot more appropriate for educational settings where kids can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":495.919,"end_s":501.36,"text":"learn everything they can from it and then move on to bigger and better","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":499.28,"end_s":506.56,"text":"things, allowing the next group of kids to have their turn. It's not necessary","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":503.84,"end_s":511.36,"text":"for every single child to own an Embot since every kid is not going to care","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":508.639,"end_s":516.24,"text":"about robotics. So, if you or your child or your class is interested in robotics,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":513.76,"end_s":519.76,"text":"I cannot recommend the Embot. There are plenty of more wellestablished brands","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":518.08,"end_s":524.0,"text":"for you to choose from like VEX Robotics, Tetris, Mindstorms, and so on.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":522.479,"end_s":528.24,"text":"I recommend that you spend the extra money and get a robotics kit that will","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":525.839,"end_s":531.36,"text":"allow a much greater range of learning and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":529.24,"end_s":534.399,"text":"experimentation. And on the subject of fixing things and putting stuff","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":532.64,"end_s":538.64,"text":"together, today's episode sponsor is iFixit. You've probably used or at least","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":536.8,"end_s":542.48,"text":"read one of the thousands of in-depth tearowns or guides available on their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":540.8,"end_s":545.839,"text":"site. But what you might not know is that they also have a great line of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":544.0,"end_s":549.6,"text":"professional electronics tools. The crown jewel of their lineup is the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":547.36,"end_s":553.68,"text":"ProTek toolkit, which I use quite a bit, and Linus gets pretty annoyed when I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":551.2,"end_s":559.12,"text":"misplace it. It's got over 70 tools, including a 54-bit driver kit, nylon and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":556.32,"end_s":563.04,"text":"metal spudgers, spudgers, spudgers, an anti-static wrist strap, and lots more.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":561.44,"end_s":567.04,"text":"Whether you're fixing a handheld system like a 3DS or Shield, or trying to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":565.2,"end_s":570.8,"text":"disassemble a gaming monitor like Lionus did in this video, or if you just want","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":569.12,"end_s":574.48,"text":"to improve your PC building experience with a better set of tools, the Protek","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":572.8,"end_s":578.64,"text":"Toolkit is a great choice. It's available for only","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":576.04,"end_s":583.279,"text":"$64.95 from iFixit. But if you use our offer code, Linus Tech, you can save $10","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":580.8,"end_s":586.959,"text":"on any purchase of $50 or more. So head on over to our link, that's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":585.16,"end_s":591.92,"text":"ifixit.com/Linus, and save on some awesome tools today. So, what do you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":589.76,"end_s":595.2,"text":"guys think? Was I too hard on the embot? Do you have one? And if so, what do you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":593.6,"end_s":598.56,"text":"think about it? Are you guys interested in seeing more videos about robotics in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":597.2,"end_s":602.399,"text":"the future? And how do you feel about me, Taran, as a host? Hello, by the way,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":600.56,"end_s":606.56,"text":"if you haven't seen me before. Let us know in the comments. Anyway, time for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":604.24,"end_s":609.44,"text":"Linus' new outro. If this video sucked, you know what to do. But if it was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":607.76,"end_s":612.88,"text":"awesome, get subscribed, hit the like button, or even consider supporting us","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":611.04,"end_s":617.04,"text":"directly by using our affiliate code to shop at Amazon, buying a cool t-shirt","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":614.88,"end_s":619.839,"text":"like this one, or with a direct monthly contribution. Now that you're done doing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":618.56,"end_s":623.92,"text":"all that, you're probably wondering what to watch next. So, click that little eye","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":622.079,"end_s":628.16,"text":"button up in the top right hand corner to check out Thug Life Daydream, which","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":627.04,"end_s":633.76,"text":"well, you're just going to have to see it on our other channel. Channel Super","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":630.32,"end_s":644.23,"text":"Fun. I'll see you around.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"Ever since I and the rest of Linus Media Group signed up for CES 2014, I've received hundreds, perhaps thousands of spammy promotional emails. It's mostly nonsense and garbage products, and I've been clearing it out as usual when one of them finally caught my eye. Meet the Embot, a $49 STEM educational robot for children. I've been interested in robotics ever since I was a kid. So, let's find out if the Embot can live up to its promise of one robot per child. First things first, $49 is just the Kickstarter price. If you want an Embot today, it'll cost you $79. That doesn't include shipping. And on top of that, I had to pay DHL $20 in import fees from Taiwan. And I'm not the only one. Anyway, let's take a look at what we get in the box. There's the MCore microchip, which is the brain of the robot, ultrasonic and light sensors, a Bluetooth module if you got the Bluetooth version, two gears that will be used as wheels, two motors to power the wheels, a little ball wheel, a battery pack, a single piece aluminum chassis, an IR remote with no included battery, a testing mat, a motor shaft repair kit, an instructional booklet, a screwdriver, and some screws, bolts, and cables. Assembly is supposed to take 10 easy minutes, but it took me longer for a couple of reasons. Like, why are the instructions supposed to be read clockwise? Also, the included screwdriver is only compatible with one type of screw. There's no easy way to tighten the bolts, and the instructions fail to mention that there's a hex wrench on the other side of the screwdriver bit. Once the MCore microchip has been screwed on, detaching the velcroed on battery pack and managing cables is quite difficult since there's not much room. Also, one of the wires on one of my motors was completely detached. This was an easy fix for me, but I did some research and it turns out the quality assurance on the motors in particular has been a problem for Make Block before. Anyway, with the robot assembled, it's finally time to download and install the MBLOC software. But first, you have to manually install Adobe Air if you don't have it already. Then you can install the MBLOC software. But according to the video instructions, before I can get to programming, there's still more I need to do. First, I need to select the MBOT board. Then select the MBOT extension. Then you have to select COM 28 as the serial port. I looked everywhere for COM28 until realizing that it's referring to a USB port and COM 4 works just as well. And then you have to update the firmware. And after that, you still have to download, install, and link Arduino drivers until finally you can start uploading code to the MBOT. That's a lot of steps to go through before you've even started programming. Sure, it all seems obvious once you know what to do, but the Embot is supposed to be a starter robot for children. Kids and Linus Media Group employees need very clear, comprehensive instructions with as few steps and as little frustration as possible. Anyway, I finally got to programming with the MBLOCK software. Now, this is actually a modified version of Scratch, which was developed by MIT to teach kids about programming. Scratch is pretty cool, and it reminds me of when I was a kid learning programming with Game Maker 5. The Scratch programming automatically converts itself into Arduino code which is ready to be uploaded onto the embot. I think that's pretty cool since it makes it easy to see exactly what the graphical scratch programming looks like in real textbased code. Anyway, I went through all the videos and programmed the embot as instructed and I tried a bunch of my own programming. Programming the embot is mostly straightforward, but only when it works. More on that later. The video tutorials give you a few ideas of what the embot can do, but I ran out of tutorials quickly, and I found myself thinking, \"Is that all?\" The most interesting things you can do, in no particular order, are follow a line, crudely, avoid obstacles, and remote control the ambot with the remote or Bluetooth. You can also make colored LEDs flash and make noise with the buzzer, but you don't really need a robot for that. And you can detect the ambient brightness of the room with the included light sensor on the M core, but I don't really see the point. And even the associated tutorial doesn't do anything with it except display the value on screen. I feel like it would have been better to use this in place of the current two bottom-mounted line following light sensors, which can only detect black or white, meaning that it only has four states, zero, 1, 2, and three. This makes smooth PID line following impossible. Also, I don't see that there's any way to do more than one thing at a time, like flashing LEDs while simultaneously line following. Two different things which shouldn't interfere, but they do. It all gets lumped together. This is because of the decision to base the embot on Arduino, which doesn't support multi-threading. Bummer. I mean, maybe this is all just an issue of expectation management. The Kickstarter campaign really had me excited for the Embot, but you need additional hardware to do some of the cool things they show off. The stock Embot only assembles in one way, and it comes with just two motors for the two wheels, though the RJ25 ports can support more motors. If you want extra sensors or a robotic ARM for your Embot, you'll have to buy those. This is par for the course when it comes to robotics, but because of the Embot's single piece aluminum chassis, it's not nearly as modular as other robotics kits. This may be a good or a bad thing depending upon what you want the MBOT for. The hardware is fine. It's the MB block software that has issues. It was frustrating to install and even more frustrating to use. Sometimes the MBOT wouldn't be detected and sometimes it wouldn't accept code. And here's a strange problem. It seems like after you upload your first Arduino code to the MBOT, certain Scratch script modules no longer work, even though they previously did work, as shown in the video tutorials. Also, at some point I lost the ability to upload code from my work computer completely. I kept getting this error. Also, I could never get the ultrasonic sensor to work. No matter what computer I used, I kept getting the error undefined reference to count pulse ASM. I told make block about my software problems and they quickly updated the software. Now the ultrasonic sensor works and I can upload code from my work computer again. That's great. But then all my LED programming became non-functional and I had to redo it. There are still other issues with the software. I sincerely hope that these remaining problems can also be resolved. If they are, the MBOT could be a worthwhile purchase. Overall, I spent more time trying to get the MBOT to work than I did actually programming and using it. Now, there's a graphic on the Kickstarter page favorably comparing the MBOT to three other competing robotic systems. At first glance, it looks like the MBOT is clearly superior. Then, you look a little closer and realize, wait a minute, an RGB LED isn't a sensor. Neither is a buzzer. And these other robots are poorly represented. For example, the Lego Mindstorm's educational base set has a ton of stuff not listed in this graphic. There's a touch sensor, lots of gears, wheels, and beams, an integrated display with buttons, a speaker, and enclosed PCP, and three servo motors with built-in tachometers for a total of nearly 500 parts with nearly unlimited ways to assemble it all. Of course, it's a more expensive $250, and this came out 8 years ago. The Parallax Arduino Shield seems like a much more fair comparison, and it certainly looks like the Embot has much better hardware for less money, but I can't say for sure since I've never used the Parallax Arduino Shield robot kit. I've also never used the VEX IQ robot. But hey, VEX, Parallax, Lego Tetricx. If you guys want to send any of your robots to us for a review, go right ahead. I'll review it. Get in here. So, anyway, here's the question. If the MBOT really was $50 total, and if all the problems with the software were resolved, would the MBOT be a worthwhile purchase? Sure. At that point, the only issue I can see is that any kid who's really interested in robotics is going to quickly outgrow the Embot because of its limited hardware and singular method of construction. That makes a product like the Embot more appropriate for educational settings where kids can learn everything they can from it and then move on to bigger and better things, allowing the next group of kids to have their turn. It's not necessary for every single child to own an Embot since every kid is not going to care about robotics. So, if you or your child or your class is interested in robotics, I cannot recommend the Embot. There are plenty of more wellestablished brands for you to choose from like VEX Robotics, Tetris, Mindstorms, and so on. I recommend that you spend the extra money and get a robotics kit that will allow a much greater range of learning and experimentation. And on the subject of fixing things and putting stuff together, today's episode sponsor is iFixit. You've probably used or at least read one of the thousands of in-depth tearowns or guides available on their site. But what you might not know is that they also have a great line of professional electronics tools. The crown jewel of their lineup is the ProTek toolkit, which I use quite a bit, and Linus gets pretty annoyed when I misplace it. It's got over 70 tools, including a 54-bit driver kit, nylon and metal spudgers, spudgers, spudgers, an anti-static wrist strap, and lots more. Whether you're fixing a handheld system like a 3DS or Shield, or trying to disassemble a gaming monitor like Lionus did in this video, or if you just want to improve your PC building experience with a better set of tools, the Protek Toolkit is a great choice. It's available for only $64.95 from iFixit. But if you use our offer code, Linus Tech, you can save $10 on any purchase of $50 or more. So head on over to our link, that's ifixit.com/Linus, and save on some awesome tools today. So, what do you guys think? Was I too hard on the embot? Do you have one? And if so, what do you think about it? Are you guys interested in seeing more videos about robotics in the future? And how do you feel about me, Taran, as a host? Hello, by the way, if you haven't seen me before. Let us know in the comments. Anyway, time for Linus' new outro. If this video sucked, you know what to do. But if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit the like button, or even consider supporting us directly by using our affiliate code to shop at Amazon, buying a cool t-shirt like this one, or with a direct monthly contribution. Now that you're done doing all that, you're probably wondering what to watch next. So, click that little eye button up in the top right hand corner to check out Thug Life Daydream, which well, you're just going to have to see it on our other channel. Channel Super Fun. I'll see you around."}