Best Robot Kit Deals for Kids and Adults

Robots
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Building robots is a great way to learn about electronics and code, whether you're 6 or 60 years old. These days, you can find awesome robot kits that give you the parts and instructions to build everything from a tank that can use object recognition to an arm that can pick things up to a robotic crab that hobbles along on its legs.

But building the robot, a process that usually only takes a few hours is just the beginning of the fun. Once your kit is complete, you can either move your robot manually or, better yet, program it to act autonomously. If you or your child haven't coded before, don't worry: many of these robots even come with tutorials to walk you through the process. 

With the holiday deals season upon us, there are many opportunities to find savings, and below we're listing all the best best deals on robot kits.

Best Robot Kit Deals

Makeblock mBot Mega: was $119, now $96 at Amazon

Makeblock mBot Mega: was $119, now $96 at Amazon
This powerful kit has a high-quality metal chassis, mecaum wheels for moving side-to-side and an Arduino-compatible controller board you can program via Arduino language or a block-based app. It also can work with a Raspberry Pi.

Makeblock mBot Ranger: was $159, now $114 at Amazon

Makeblock mBot Ranger: was $159, now $114 at Amazon
This 3-in-1 kit can make a a metal tank, a robot racing car or a self-balancing robot. It comes with an Arduino compatible board you can program using a block-based coding language or with Arduino language.

SunFounder 3+1 DOF Robot Arm: was $89, now $71 at Amazon

SunFounder 3+1 DOF Robot Arm: was $89, now $71 at Amazon
This 3-DOF arm comes with an electromagnet and a bucket so you can experiment with dragging things around.

Makeblock mBot Ultimate Robot Kit: was $349, now $319 at Amazon with coupon

Makeblock mBot Ultimate Robot Kit: was $349, now $319 at Amazon with coupon
The highest-end MakeBlock robot kit can build 10 different types of robots including a tank that has an arm. Click the coupon code to get it at this price.

Yahboom BBC Micro:bit Coding Robot Car: was $60, now $48 at Amazon with coupon

Yahboom BBC Micro:bit Coding Robot Car: was $60, now $48 at Amazon with coupon
This two-wheeled car works with your Micro:bit (sold separately) and comes with sensors, buzzers and RGB lights.

STEM Solar Robot Toys 12-in-1: was $26, now $17 at Amazon 

STEM Solar Robot Toys 12-in-1: was $26, now $17 at Amazon 

Build up to 12 different types of robot with this inexpensive kit. Can be powered both by battery and by included solar panels.

Yahboom Robot Tank for Raspberry Pi: was $138, now $111 at Amazon

Yahboom Robot Tank for Raspberry Pi: was $138, now $111 at Amazon
This powerful aluminum tank comes with a built-in camera you can use for object recognition. It has a series of tutorials to help you program it in Python and an app to remote control it. Requires a Raspberry Pi 4.

Elegoo Tumbler Self-Balancing Robot Car: was $84, now $67 at Amazon

Elegoo Tumbler Self-Balancing Robot Car: was $84, now $67 at Amazon
This Arduino-powered, two-wheel car balances it self and uses an ultrasonic sensor.

Elegoo UNO R3 Smart Robot Car Kit: was $89, now $71 at Amazon

Elegoo UNO R3 Smart Robot Car Kit: was $89, now $71 at Amazon
This kit comes complete with everything you need to build an Arduino car with an acrylic base and four wheels. You can program the robot to do avoid obstacles, follow lines and more. It even comes with a camera you can use to get a live stream.

Aokesi Building Block Robot Kit: was $49, now $29 at Amazon

Aokesi Building Block Robot Kit: was $49, now $29 at Amazon

This inexpensive robot kit has a brightly colored pastel design to appeal to younger children and comes with its own remote control. It can also connect to your phone for 4 different control modes.

Avram Piltch
Avram Piltch is Tom's Hardware's editor-in-chief. When he's not playing with the latest gadgets at work or putting on VR helmets at trade shows, you'll find him rooting his phone, taking apart his PC or coding plugins. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram developed many real-world benchmarks, including our laptop battery test.