Are you looking for cheap toys that will keep your children entertained, and provide a valuable learning experience? This episode of Gear Daddy talks about building your own battery powered toy robots known as Bristlebots. These electronic toys combine a battery powered offset motor and a toothbrush to make robotic toys for kids. Brisltebots are fun learning toys that teach your kids about robotics, and teach them how to build your own. You can build your own Bristlebots by heading to Radio Shack and checking out Make Magazine and Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories for instructions, or buying the Invasion of the Bristlebots book. It’s a great way to learn how to build a robot with your kids and is sure to provide hours of cheap entertainment. Gear Daddy ep 535 is brought to you by BabyBjorn.

Gear Daddy EP 535 Bristlebots


DADDY TROY Welcome back to Gear Daddy I’m your host Daddy Troy and today we’re going to learn to build one of these Bristlebots, and also we are going to review the new book by Klutz Press, Invasion of the Bristlebots. Stick around, I’ll tell you all about it.

DADDY TROY Today’s episode is brought to you by BabyBjorn. You know I’ve been to Sweden I’ve talked to the designer’s of the BabyBjorn products, awesome stuff. A lot of research and thought went in to this, BabyBjorn.

DADDY TROY This is a Bristlebot, its actually really easy to make. It’s a vibrating motor it’s an off setting kind, the kind you have in your cell phone when your cell phone’s on vibrate. You have a battery inside to power it and you’ve got an on and off switch. If you’re a DIY dad you can make one of these yourself, its pretty simple. Make Magazine has a video from the guys over at Evil Mad Scientist Libratory that show you how to make small ones, as well as huge ones. You should check that out, you buy all the parts at Radioshack.

DADDY TROY I’m also going to encourage you to buy the Klutz Invasion of the Bristlebots. What I like about this is it comes with all the parts you need. Also, Klutz has done a really good job of making it easy putting them together. They have done all the calculations of the battery sizes it will need. It comes with cardboard cut outs so you can make mazes with, you can have an arena, you can have battle bots. You can make really cool things like scorpions, or make Bristlebots with antennas. The book shows you how to paint with robots. Kids have a great time playing with this, they also have a good time playing with others.

DADDY TROY So that’s Invasion of the Bristlebots, by Klutz Press. You can also go to Make Magazine’s website and watch videos made by the evil mad scientist laboratory. They do some Bristlebots that are crazy big. Both are really fun activities. This gives you’re the curriculum and then you can graduate to some pretty crazy stuff yourself. We’ll see you next time on gear daddy and all week long at dadlabs.com. And don’t forget, we are sponsored by BabyBjorn, some of the best baby gear on th