Artie Max The Coding, Drawing Robot, STEM Toy, Classroom Must Haves, Ages 8+

This robot has some serious programming languages available, and although it doesn't always draw exactly what it's supposed to it's a really fun and well put together thing. Probably the most powerful coding toy I've used so far. UPDATE: Checking back in I've noticed some people have had issues connecting. We found very quickly that you have to disable the auto-connect to other networks with internet. As the robot doesn't have an internet connection most devices will drop connection with the robot in favour of another connection with internet. If your robot "won't connect" check this first. Another issue people have said is that it makes a noise then turns off - this is because the battery hasn't been charged. We found using a phone charger for a few hours was the best way to keep it charged. One of the top reviews seems to say that company who made the robot weren't helpful. We've actually found they've been really responsive and some of our questions about the more advanced features have been passed onto the actual engineers who made it. We've never had this sort of service from a company before so were surprised to read what was said in the other review.

ArtieMax is fun and educational for young and old alike. I would say that the age that would appreciate this drawing robot would start at about ten, but a precocious 8-year-old might like it too. Because the ArtieMax supports multiple programming languages, I find it useful for teaching teenagers and adults. It supports Blockly (visual code), Python, Javascript, and more. ArtieMax comes with several example apps so it is pretty easy to get started. A big plus is that a student computer (with a wifi adapter) can connect directly to the wifi built into ArtieMax -- no Internet connection is required. I used ArtieMax for demos at a tech fair. Very fun!

Update: it's been a month since I contacted support and emailed them as instructed. Still haven't heard anything back. Ar this point I consider this vaporware. Their update broke it so it won't boot and I'm considering taking it apart so I can use the parts for my projects because at this point it's all it's good for. Maybe a paper weight I guess This looked like a neat project for my daughters. A few weeks after Christmas (kids never play with stuff right away) they decided to play. We followed the initial setup. Went online and flashed the update that the instructions said to and then it would not work at all. Tried flashing 3 more times and each time we got the same results. It would boot, then flash red eyes and power off. I called the 1800 number and the lady advised me to email their tech support. I did amd now, 4 days later we still haven't heard back. "Educational companies" love selling stuff but then flake out when something goes wrong. Being in tech I explained to my wife what was inside and I would happily take it apart but she said it's the companies responsibility. We are very disappointed. I would not reccomend this to anyone.

As an educator and a parent I was pleased that using ArtieMax does not require an app to use. It can be used on any device with a browser and the ability to connect to Wi-Fi. A computer or iPad is best from our experience. Charge Artie for at least two hours. We had the best results when we ensured Artie was fully charged. The loading of the markers , the Wi-Fi set up and the user access were very easy. It was nice to see how many variations there were in level of coder , from beginner tutorial to Java script writer. It was at the point of trying to get Artie to connect with the written code we created on the browser that we hit our first hiccup. The robot can be a little glitchy. It went idle a few times or said it was connected but wasn't responding. With all things technology it takes a bit patience and a few basic tech practices like turning it on and off again ,resetting the Wi-Fi , and just waiting a few seconds for the page to load. These things can get kids easily frustrated. Once we got Artie coding we no longer had any glitches. It did take a bit of trial and error before we got him connected and ready to code. If from start to finish during setup Artie worked perfectly then yes an 8 year old and up could handle the exploration, but having an adult around for trouble shooting isn't a bad idea. As a teacher I would say it is a " productive struggle". Kids will learn some tricks while troubleshooting. The coding was fun once connected. My son really like the almost endless options to create. The tutorial code did a great job of explaining the way each code functioned and how Artie would move. My 9 year old had to really use some critical thinking to create and that's great ! Some tips for parents and teachers 1.Use a large piece of paper ( think chart paper) until you get the hang of how the commands make Artie move 2. Use a touch screen for ease of dragging and dropping code Overall I learned a lot about coding by testing it out even if it wasn't perfect coding. This is a good intro to code and I would use it in a classroom.

Artie is awesome! I am a 1st grade teacher, and prepping for back to school. Our team was looking for STEM products and I came across Artie. I liked how the product would get students interested in coding because it's also a toy and involves drawing. I did have a problem connecting to the Wi-Fi at first but like most tech products- I gave it a couple minutes and it connected to the set up page. From there, I was excited to see the different programming languages my students can use. Glad I tried the Artie first so I can walk my class through the rest. These will be great in our small group tech centers.

Took much too long to set-up and was not easy. There was a lot of reconnections to get the Artie Max to work. Once connected and able to display codes of choice, it created accurate drawings. Don’t see this being a favorite with the kids though because of the time it took to use it.

Wir haben schon einen Gefährten dieser Art und ist von Wonder Workshop somit waren die Grundprinzipien etwas vorhanden. Hier werden den Kids 5 Programmierspachen wenn sie wollen beigebracht. Wir haben die Programme erstmal auf den PC gezogen da ich ein Programmieren hier als sinnvoller erachte, es geht aber natürlich auch Handy oder Tablet. Gefordert wird aber WiFi (Wlan), es läuft nicht über das eigene Netztwerk sondern es wird eine direkte Verbindung vom Rechner zum Artie hergestellt, wenn dann ein Desktoprechner (normaler Stand PC) genutzt werden soll hat dieser in der Regel kein W-Lan Modul sondern dieses müsste dann über einen W-Lan USB Stick gelöst werden, ist nicht teuer zwischen 10-20€. Die Figur wird geladen über einen Micro USB Anschluss, man kann mich kleinlich halten aber mir gefällt es nicht warum man hier bei einem aktuellen Gerät kein USB-C Anschluss genommen, dies ist/wird Standard auf der ganzen Welt. Was ich ganz nett fand wenn man sich über die Homepage codewithartie,com registriert dann bekommt man noch einen Bonus Code aber besser noch, hier kann man sich die aktuellen Firmewaresoftware downloaden und ist somit immer auf dem neuesten Stand (es ist auch schon eine verfügbar). Alles was der Artie macht sind Figuren zeichnen/abfahren auf den Blättern die man ihm als Unterlage gibt, somit ist dieser auch auf kleinstem Raum undnauf dem Tisch nutzbar um auszuprobieren was man programmiert hat. Es gibt auch noch von der Firma eine kleinere Version den Artie3000 aber dieser hat dann nur einen Stift und ist etwas eingeschränkter. Ich hoffe das mein Sohnemann mit dem Spass den er zur Zeit daran hat ein wenig auch dann die Grundsätze des Programmierens versteht und ich vielleicht auch 🤷‍♂️😁 Es geht hierbei wirklich um die Basis zu verstehen und somit einen Einstieg zu bekommen. Ich kann den Artie Max ganz klar empfehlen für alle Kids aber auch Erwachsenen die das Programmieren erlernen möchten bzw. sich das Basiswissen aneignen wollen. Somit 5 Sterne

Ours didn't work. We returned it.

✅ IL PRODOTTO >> l'idea devo dire è piuttosto intelligente, dato che tramite il robot è possibile insegnare ai bambini le basi della programmazione e di conseguenza il linguaggio informatico. Stando alle indicazioni del produttore, il robot può essere utilizzato da bambini dagli otto anni a salire, anche se a mio avviso si tratta di una previsione un po' troppo ottimistica, proprio alla luce del fatto che l'utilizzo è leggermente più macchinoso rispetto a quanto non mi aspettassi. E proprio rispetto a questo aspetto, il primo problema sta proprio nella fase iniziale di configurazione, dove anche soltanto aggiornare il software del prodotto, richiede un po' di esperienza e soprattutto la conoscenza della lingua inglese, cosa da non dare per scontato in bambini di otto anni. ☑️ UTILIZZO >> il robot di suo è molto carino, e nel complesso realizzato con materiali di discreta qualità, anche se va riconosciuto che effettivamente si blocca piuttosto spesso e vi è la necessità di procedere a continui reset. Anche dopo aver fatto l'aggiornamento software, così come indicato dal produttore, devo constatare che effettivamente le cose non vanno molto bene, a partire dall’app mal tradotta, fino ad arrivare alle continue disconnessione che rendono inutilizzabile la gestione mediante browser. Poco convincente poi anche il connettore di ricarica, che nonostante si tratti di un prodotto recentissimo, ed invero dal prezzo tutt'altro che contenuto, si affida ancora alla tecnologia micro USB, assolutamente poco performante dal punto di vista dei tempi di ricarica ed ampiamente superata. Insomma come dicevo prima, si tratta di un vero peccato dato che l'idea di imparare a programmare giocando, è molto intelligente e già ampiamente rodata in moltissimi campi. Fermo restando che le criticità emerse sono prettamente software, quindi nulla vieta che con un futuro aggiornamento, magari più stabile e performante, possono essere superate le tante piccole problematiche emerse nella mia prova. Ultimo aspetto da segnalare, è l’incredibile l'assenza all'interno della confezione di un manuale d'uso in lingua italiana, che oltre ad essere molto gradito, avrebbe facilitato non di poco quanto meno le fasi iniziali di configurazione. 🛃 CONCLUSIONI >> come è noto, i Vine ricevono spesso prodotti in pre lancio, e quindi più che sull’esperienza d’uso, che come ho detto prima non è proprio positivissima, bisogna valutare anche le potenzialità dell'articolo superata una fase iniziale di “assestamento”, ovvero quando sarà rilasciata una versione software stabile e sufficientemente performante. E proprio sotto questo punto di vista, va detto che il marchio è molto noto nel settore dei giochi didattici, quindi non ho motivo di dubitare che ci saranno sicuramente delle correzioni software per rendere il robot fruibile in maniera seria. Siccome ho provato il robot per circa un mese, tempo evidentemente troppo breve per sperare in serie migliorie software, mi riservo pertanto di aggiornare la recensione quando sarà rilasciata una release definitiva. Al momento, anche valutando il potenziale, è difficile dare una valutazione complessiva superiore alle 3 stelle.

Perfect

Hemos tenido dos etapas en la experiencia usando este robot, la primera, recién recibido, cuando lo intentaba actualizar, cosa que me resultó imposible, ni usadno varios ordenadores Mac ni con otros que pedí prestado con Windows, en ese estado, sin actualizar, el funcionamiento del robot erra bastante errático, su mayor problemas es que perdía la concesión WiFi cada vez que cambiábamos de entorno de programación, y a veces, también en mitad de un dibujo, lo que era bastante frustrante, tanto que se dejo de utilizar y quedo guardado en un rincón. Posteriormente, al cabo de unos tres meses, y aprovechando que me habían dejado un portátil con Windows para hacerle un “mantenimiento”, volví a probar si conseguía actualizarlo, y, eureka, lo pude hacer, y entonces, al volverlo a probar, todos los problemas con la conexión WiFi habían desaparecido, siendo el funcionamiento del robot muchísimo mas estable, con lo que ya si se puede disfrutar con el. La idea me parece muy buena, ya que permite introducir a los niños en el mundo de la programación, se puede empezar con el mas sencillo, el propio del robot, para continuar con lenguajes de programación visuales como Blockly o Snap!, y si se anima llegando a los lenguajes mas estándares tipo JavaScript, Python y C++, todo esto jugando y con la posibilidad de obtener multitud códigos de ejemplo si nos registramos en la Web del fabricante. Su funcionamiento ademas no requiere de la instalación de ningún programa, ya que se basa en el uso del navegador de internet, para acceder a la interface de manejo y programación del robot. Es aconsejable disponer de una cartulina de generosas dimensiones para poner encima las hojas donde hacer los dibujos, a ser posible hoja A3, para evitar el riego de manchar con los rotuladores la mesa de trabajo, ademas si usamos dicha cartulina se puede estar usando el robot sobre el suelo sin que las juntas de las baldosas imposibiliten su buen funcionamiento. El manual viene en ingles, pero se puede descargar la versión en castellano desde la pagina Web del fabricante. Cuando lo recibí tenia un precio de 132 €, algo caro, pero ahora a menos de 50 €, es un precio muy razonable para las características y posibilidades del producto