Stemigo

Sign in Subscribe

Julian N

Julian writes STEM guides for parents. He specializes in robotics kids overview, science and engineering projects, budget robotics options, and screen-free activities that actually keep kids engaged. Honest about what works and what doesn't.

robot does house chores

The Robot That Folds Your Towels (Slowly, and With Help)

Six companies launched home robots in 2025. They can fold towels, load dishwashers, and sort laundry. They also can't close an oven door, handle sharp objects, or work unsupervised. The living room robot is finally real. It just needs a bit of help.

The Robot That Solves a Rubik's Cube Before You Can Blink

The Robot That Solves a Rubik's Cube Before You Can Blink

A Rubik's Cube, fully scrambled, solved in 0.103 seconds. Not by engineers at a major corporation, but by four undergraduates at Purdue University. Their robot solves the cube before you can blink. What does "solving" mean when the solver has no experience of the puzzle?

The Country Building Robots Faster Than Anyone Expected

The Country Building Robots Faster Than Anyone Expected

The robot stands 1.73 metres tall and weighs 75 kg. Its body has 29 degrees of freedom, with seven in each hand. The T800 is a good conversation starter about the difference between what a robot can do in a controlled demo and what it can reliably do in the real world.

Robotics kit for kids age 9-10; partially built wheeled robot on a desk with Lego pieces and a hand-drawn obstacle course

9–10 Year Olds: The Age When Patience Becomes Possible

Most 9yo can picture what they want the robot to do. Making it actually happen is another matter; and they're old enough to find that genuinely annoying. The kits that work at this age aren't the easiest. They're the ones just hard enough to make solving them feel like something.

A young child delighted by a coding robot, an ideal first robotics toy for 5 and 6 year olds.

Robotics for 5–6 Year Olds: What Changes at This Age

Five-year-olds know their code makes the robot turn left. They can't always work out why it turned left three times. Which robotics toys actually work at this age, what's changed since four, and what to say when the robot won't do what they want.

Child aged 6-7 playing with a small coding robot on a wooden floor at home, looking focused and engaged

Robotics for 6-7 Year Olds: The Year It Starts to Stick

Seven-year-olds don't just want the robot to move. They want it to go exactly where they said. The kits that work at this age, and the ones that don't, plus what to say when the debugging session tips into a meltdown.

Robotics for 7–8 Year Olds: When Investigation Replaces Frustration

Robotics for 7–8 Year Olds: When Investigation Replaces Frustration

Seven-year-olds execute a sequence. Eight-year-olds ask what happens if they change step three. That shift, from following a plan to constructing one, changes which kits are worth exploring. The ones that worked at six may already be too easy.