[.ca] SUMO BOT (ISBN 0071411933)

great bot!!!!:
This is a great bot. I recommend it for everyone. Easy to put together and lots of fun.

The best hobby robot out there!:
I bought the first robot for my teenage nephew and he LOVED it (after being highly disappointed with others that are out there), so I have been super anxious to get him this robot. He loves this one even more--he has been going through all of the robot building tips and tricks on the CD-ROM and learning a lot more about robotics. He especially likes the tracks on this one and how the robot can maneuver over more stuff. He's looking forward to his friends (or maybe uncles) getting this robot for Christmas so they can start some Sumo competitions! HIGHLY recommended!

The Best Hobby Robot You Can Buy!:
I have had the original build your own robot kit for a year now and I thought it was pretty good. The concept and price was great, but there were a few rough edges in the original execution. The original wheels \owere poor\c (and for some reason say "FORD" on them) and it got pretty expensive buying the BS2 to go with it. Using an "acorn nut" as a front "caster" was pretty innovative, unfortunately it didn't work that well on rough surfaces. The good points about the robot were the remote control and how easily a BS2 could be added to the robot so that I could write my own programs and try them out. Even with the \opoor\c wheels and "caster" it was probably the best experimenter's robot out there. The information on the CD-ROM was great, although I wish it was available on paper (costs a lot to print out all the information). Myke seemed to have learned from the first robot and the Sumo Bot is fantastic. It now has a very solid sheet metal chassis (with a front scoop), it runs by 4 "AA" batteries and has a caterpiller bulldozer like track that allows it to run over just about any surface. The robot is really built like a bulldozer, it will last a long time. Best of all, the optional pieces from the original kit, the BS2 and AppMod are built into the robot. All you have to do is put the CD-ROM into your PC, download the programs and BS2 programming software, conenct the robot to the PC using a serial cable and you can start writing your own programs or adding your own hardware. This review probably reads like a sales pitch, but I've had my Sumo Bot for a week now and I LOVE IT! It's very robust, easy to use and program and best of all, it's fun. Brad

Great Bot:
A great, fun, and easy bot to build. Good customer service. I would recommend it for everyone.

Excellent value for a first robot kit:
After much shopping around and checking out other kits on the net I chose this kit. I am glad now since it seems to be the best possible investment when trying to get into the hobby for first time. Comes with all you need, (including a BASIC stamp programmable chip worth about 50 CDN), for much MUCH less than any similar learning kits. (plus free shipping) Authors do excellent job with brief but effective tutorials on the mechanics and electronics, then quickly get you started programming the robot.