Review Of Kasey The Kinderbot

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Back in the 80's, a little known company released a short robot called 2XL. It took the old 8 track cassettes which held it's software. This was one of my first experiences with educational robots. Of course, I didn't realize it was teaching me anything. It was all about having fun. And now Fisher Price have released a new similar kind of learning robot for kids.

Kasey The Kinderbot, as he's affectionally known, is a little over a foot tall and is about the friendliest looking robot we've had to review at The Robot Lab. There's nothing to assemble when you get him, and all that he needs are the 3 included AA batteries.

What you can't see from the picture here is that Kasey the Kinderbot is actually quite a lively character. His mouth glows when he talks and sings, and his head and arms move too. On his chest region, there's four interactive buttons, and there's a nice large screen where Kasey and other characters will interact with children.

Around the back, there's an interface where you plug in the software cartridges. He works a bit like the old 2XL robots, except that here the software really IS software. And children learn through a series of interactive games that appear on the screen, commented on and accompanied by Kasey.

So there's not much doubt that children (recommended age group 3 - 7) are going to enjoy this. I think that goes without saying. The games and activities are exciting, funny and have a lot of replay value. But what most parents are going to be wondering is: is this really helpful and is Kasey the Kinderbot a good educational robot?

It's creators have spent a lot of time and money trying to make sure that this toy will have serious educational appeal to customers. The toy has been developed with the aid of real teachers and learning experts. They have concentrated on making what they call a 'school ready' robot, which concentrates on physical, academic and social skills.

From our tests (which consisted of us going through the different exercises!) Kasey The Kinderbot came across as a 'serious' educational tool. Each software rom covered a lot of ground, and the toy certainly wouldn't be out of place in a class room. It seems to strike that rare ground where both kids and parents will be happy with this robot.

Score: 9 / 10

Order Kasey Here
Amazon have Kasey at a great price, and a full selection of the software cartridges containing the games and learning programs.