I am a 23 year engineer and 8 year robotics teacher. I have built a robotics and automation shop from the grounds up and found the most useful teaching tool after laptop computers was the Boe-Bot. I used the Boe-Bot in ways more than just a mobile robot. Many schools get courted by high priced education equipment sales, which I did too, and spent many thousands of dollars. In my book I spell this out with detailed curriculum, which is available on Amazon in print or on Kindle (titled "Starting an Exciting Robotics Program at Your School on a Budget" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08THN2XMX).
I am looking to start a robotics program using the BOE-Bot. I have several computer science and electronics course offerings at our high school, but a gap in the robotics realm. I own or have tried many robotics platforms on the market, Lego, Vex, Ozobots, Spheros, MakeBlock, Vector, Edison and more. I am more interested in a sound curriculum and remember the Parallax BASIC Stamp from years ago when I first learned.
The Parallax Boe-Bot was the first major release to our Stamps in Class educational microcontroller program back in 1997. Since this time, educators who use the kit have appreciated exactly what it offers: BASIC code that’s close to the hardware, reliable programming tools, and the very complete curriculum in Robotics with the Boe-Bot Textbook. If you’re starting a program or haven’t seen this book, please get a look.
No matter what newer hardware comes out (Arduino, RaspPi, micro:bits) you still want your Boe-Bots! There’s no need to change what works. This is why we’ve got over a half-million of these kits out there.
The changes to the Board of Education over the years have been minimal: power supply upgrades, USB port, silkscreen, and other improvements based on customer feedback. Improvements have been done only with strong reason and student-based purposes, with additional consideration to NOT obsoleting hardware owned by schools around the world. The result of this approach created the world’s longest-running, most successful educational robot.
To make it easier for educators to get started with the BASIC Stamp, we’ve put all of the popular Boe-Bot parts in a single box. The new Boe-Bot 12-Pack Plus includes the following:
We will attempt to keep two of these in stock at all times. Visit the Boe-Bot Robot 12-Pack Plus Product Page or request a quote from our sales team for your purchasing department.
From time to time, we discuss making changes to the Boe-Bot at Parallax. But these are just our thoughts about what would be useful, and we’re not about to change what works unless our customers ask for it. If your hardware is feeling a bit aged or worn, it could be time to replace it [and to know it should be functional for the next ten years!]
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
