KickTraq

THANK YOU to our backers and everyone else who has supported us - we are so excited to finally be able to bring Sparki to life!! We can’t wait to get started. We will be sending out a survey to collect info such as shipping addresses - we will be... (Read More)

His eyes are wide, like ET’s or Johnny Five’s. His skin mimics the indestructible plastic found in LEGO. Even his name sounds like a beloved pet. Sparki may be a complex Arduino robot, but he’s (he looks like a he) has been designed from the ground up for children.Sparki is the latest creation by ArcBotics, a Kickstarter-born company building open robotics platforms. “After our first successful Kickstarter for Hexy the Hexapod, we were approached by many who asked, do you have anything for beginners?” Joe Schlesinger explains. (Read More)

We're excited to announce that RoboRealm has decided to include Sparki in its suite, and is offering discount copies to Kikcstarter backers. After the kickstarter we'll be sending a 20% off coupon to Sparki backers only. What is RoboRealm?RoboRealm... (Read More)

ArcBotics, an educational robotics company based in Cambridge, Mass., recently earned the latest Kickstarter victory for open-source robotics. After being featured as one of Kickstarter’s Top 3 projects in a weekly email earlier this month, the company successfully funded Sparki, an Arduino-based robot designed as an introduction to programming and electronics for kids ages 11 and up. With three days left to go in its campaign, Sparki has more than doubled its funding goal of $60,000 with nearly $160,000 pledged. (Read More)

We attended the San Mateo Maker Faire this past weekend to debut Sparki and to showcase Sparki's older sibling, Hexy the Hexapod.  Pictures below from some of the kids who liked Sparki:   (Read More)

This week's featured project is a little different. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for robots. Heck, I'm a geek, big surprise right? I also have another soft spot for programming. I am all for teaching beginning programming to kids in school. Here's a project that combines both: Sparki - The Easy Robot for Everyone! (Read More)

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and to Kickstarter for featuring us today!  We can't believe that we've more than doubled our funding in just the last 12 hours, and are thrilled that we have exceeded our goal.  Looks like we should work... (Read More)

Creation-1 is supporting Sparki- a project on Kickstarter that helps people learn about robotics and programming. (Read More)

If you are looking for a great new gadget to invest in, we’ve found some of the best Kickstarter technology projects around. The four we’re featuring all have one thing in common; they use technology to make our lives easier ... (Read More)

Dear backers, thanks to all of your support, we are making good progress! After the first week, we’re already about 2/3rds of the way there, and we’ve still got 3 more to go. We’ve received some great press on Sparki: Boston GlobeMake... (Read More)

Forget about getting a dog. This Sparki will fetch and play ball, and it never barks. Sparki is a small, boxy robot that with a bit of programming know-how will even play a game of chase-the-flashlight-beam. (Read More)

Forget about getting a dog. This Sparki will fetch and play ball, and it never barks. Sparki is a small, boxy robot that with a bit of programming know-how will even play a game of chase-the-flashlight-beam. The brain behind Sparki is a tiny Cambridge start-up called ArcBotics, whose founders have turned to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to finance their mechanical companion for kids. So far, they have raised more than $17,000, about a quarter of the way to their goal. But Sparki isn’t just a toy. Its builders hope the small bot will inspire a new generation of robot makers­ and computer whizzes. (Read More)

A few of us here, including Dale Dougherty, author Michael Margolis (Arduino Cookbook and Make an Arduino-Controlled Robot), and me, have been discussing Arcbotics’ next-generation robot with their founder Joe Schlesinger. It was almost a year ago at Maker Faire Bay Area 2012 that we first started peppering Joe with suggestions for his follow up to Hexy the Hexapod, and I’m thrilled to share that he’s launched the Kickstarter for his two-wheeled wonder, Sparki – The Easy Robot for Everyone! (Read More)

There are plenty of Arduino-based robots in the world, but actually building one is a bit tough if you're not familiar with Arduino programming. But a company called ArcBotics has created an Arduino-based robot called "Sparki" that can be used—and programmed—by anyone. You don't have to assemble it yourself; the little plastic robot will be ready to go out of the box with an included remote control. To let users create additional functionality, ArcBotics is preparing programming samples and tutorials for controlling the robot's sensors and actuators. (Read More)

Sparki Robot is an easy to use, affordable, intro programmable ‘Arduino’ robot gives you the chance to have your very own robot. ArcBotics‘s Sparki is simple enough for beginners, while being feature-packed enough to be a must-have for pro-users. While it provides fun to everyone, it can also be used for education to be a powerful idea with the potential to spread interest in programming, electronics, and other STEM fields to anyone. ‘spark’ is a revolution in educational robotics, lowering the barrier to entry and igniting a wave of hands-on learning. (Read More)

There are plenty of Arduino-based robots in the world, but actually building one is a bit tough if you’re not familiar with Arduino programming. But a company called ArcBotics has created an Arduino-based robot called “Sparki” that can be used—and programmed—by anyone. You don’t have to assemble it yourself; the little plastic robot will be ready to go out of the box with an included remote control. To let users create additional functionality, ArcBotics is preparing programming samples and tutorials for controlling the robot’s sensors and actuators. (Read More)

We’re here in China but can’t help noticing interesting projects back home. The team that made Hexy the Hexapod is back with another cute robot on Kickstarter. Sparki is a fully-assembled Arduino-based programmable robot for $99. They’re already a quarter of the way to their goal and they just launched yesterday. One of the great things about Hexy was that it actually shipped on time, a rare feat for a first-time Kickstarter product. It gives a lot credibility to their claims for Sparki. (Read More)

Sparki Robot is an easy to use, affordable, intro programmable 'Arduino' robot gives you the chance to have your very own robot. ArcBotics's Sparki is simple enough for beginners, while being feature-packed enough to be a must-have for pro-users. While it provides fun to everyone, it can also be used for education to be a powerful idea with the potential to spread interest in programming, electronics, and other STEM fields to anyone. 'spark' is a revolution in educational robotics, lowering the barrier to entry and igniting a wave of hands-on learning. (Read More)

Sparki is a new robot that has just launched a Kickstarter project to get funded. Sparki is an educational robot for teaching kids (and other beginners) about programming, electronics and robotics. The robot has lots of sensors and outputs. It can move around, draw with a pen, detect motion, make noises, light up LEDs and lots more. It also has a 128x64 Graphic LCD display. There are various robotics kits on the market, LEGO Mindstorms being one of the best known. So what's different about Sparki? (Read More)