Hexbug Micro Robotic Creatures Review STEM Toys for Kids
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Our family has been big fans of Hexbug micro robotic creatures
for over 10 years now! They are fantastic (and affordable!) little robots for kids of all ages! Below you’ll find a basic breakdown of the classic Hexbug toys for kids.
for over 10 years now! They are fantastic (and affordable!) little robots for kids of all ages! Below you’ll find a basic breakdown of the classic Hexbug toys for kids.
Hexbug makes a fantastic variety of Micro Robotic Creatures. As you can imagine they’re popular in the STEM toys category and have won multiple awards. Above you see the Ant, Inchworm, Crab, Original, and Nano robotic creatures. (There is also a Spider Hexbug.)
, Inchworm
, Crab
, Original
, and Nano robotic creatures
. (There is also a Spider Hexbug
.)My son love the Inchworm- because as you can see above it comes with a remote control. My favorite was the Ant- you’ll see why later!
Hexbugs are sold online and also in stores at Target and Walmart. When you see them they are in those cool little bubbles I’ve pictured above. I love the design of the bugs and their packaging- it looks so modern!
Ant Hexbug
The ant is my favorite Hexbug because it is so psychotically crazy in its movement. There is an on/off switch on all of the Hexbugs I received, and all of them came equipped with batteries. When you turn this one on it just goes crazy immediately.
All 6 of its little wheels start rapidly spinning. In the front there are a pair of antennas- which are actually sensor wires, there is also one in the back. These sensor antennas when touched (such as bumping into a wall) will send the bug flying in a different direction.
Original Hexbug
This is the Original Hexbug version and is just a friendly little guy who walks around at a regular pace. When his pair of antennae touches something- he backs up and turns around to walk in a different direction.
This Hexbug not only reacts to touch but it also reacts to sound as well. If you clap loudly, snap your fingers, or even slap the table next to it it will back up and alter it’s position.
Crab Hexbug
The crab is a fun little guy who walks sidewards. This Hexbug also reacts to sounds and well to light. When a loud sound occurs near the crab he alters which direction he is walking.
Nano Hexbug
These Nanos are an absolutely incredible amount of fun! I had always seen the Nano Hexbug displays in the store where you could push a button on the platform and vibrate the nanos- but it does not do it justice to how these Nanos really act.
When you turn the switch ON, the Nano immediately starts vibrating. When you place it on the table or floor- they crawl around SO rapidly it’s insane. They flip over and “crawl” or vibrate around like a real bug.
My boys had a blast trying to catch these things as they were crawling across the table. We actually had to build a lego barrier for them in order to run all four at once.
I’ve included a video of these fun little Nanos at the end of this post!
Inchworm RC Hexbug
The Hexbug Inchworm is my son’s favorite. My son is 4 years old and loves anything with remote controls (as you can see this one comes with!). There is an A/B switch on the remote and Inchworm so that you can actually control two Inchworms at the same time side by side.
This is an ingenious little creature as you can use the remote control to rotate the bug in all directions, then move from side to side. I will note that these Hexbugs are recommended for children ages 8+. I would have to agree with that.
We have given my son the Inchworm even though he is 4 years old and he has had it for 2 weeks without any problems, but if it is mishandled or played with roughly I am certain it would break. I will not entrust any of the other Hexbugs I received to him for certain!
However you can see below that my 1 year old can even control the remote for the Inchworm!
Hexbugs are GREAT gifts for older children, and I personally would love to have them to play with! You can buy all sorts of extra habitats for the nanos as well as collector nano pieces. There are glow in the dark habitat sets, battle and raceway habitat sets, and even pieces to build your own habitats!
I LOVED Hexbugs! I definitely give them a BIG thumbs up and recommend them. However I recommend them for older children (and adults!) to be sure. These are definitely not for my little guys! They are great though.
I love that there are so many different varieties- and each variety also comes in different colors as well. So you really have a lot of options. I also love that each creature responds to something different (touch, sounds, light, etc.) which keeps them from being monotonous.
These are great for such a wide variety of people- techy, geeks, office desks, classrooms, personal collection, etc. The habitats are a little on the pricey side, but you can find the Micro Robotic Creatures themselves for around $10.
I will say though that I would love to collect the whole set -habitats and all! Maybe when my son is older……
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I did receive some creatures to review. All opinions are mine.
