Hexbug Nano (Colors May Vary)
by Innovation First Labs Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $3.95 You Save: $9.04 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.99 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Hexbug Nano (Colors May Vary)
Customer Review: Fun toys, but best with the habitat construction pieces...
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked these up from Target. Let me tell you their prices, because some online ones (including, sadly Amazon, atm) are really, really off:
-Habitat: $30, included THREE hex arenas, THREE straight pieces, TWO curved ones, and, most importantly TWO nano bugs! Don't pay more than $30 for it, I've seen it on Amazon for nearly twice that.
-Starter set: $12, included ONE hex arena, TWO curved pieces, ONE nano bug.
-Single nano bug: $8.
I'd *highly* recommend the habitat set, it's the BEST value by far, assuming you don't get a horrible online price.
The starter set is not a bad deal, but it's not as much fun as the habitat.
The individual nano bugs are kind of expensive, and no way to start. Without SOME sort of habitat pieces, you're just chasing this thing around the room. But that may be fun too!
So.... what are these things?
I thought they were little robots. Turns out this is generally what HEXBUGs are, but they've been scaling them down to simpler and simpler things.
These things are completely dumb, no sensors at all. But the design is brilliant.
They have little curved rubber legs that don't move. They have an on switch. When you turn then on, they vibrate. That's it.
But that's all that's needed. They SHOOT across a flat surface, and when they hit a wall, they shoot off at at angle. They even right themselves if they are on their side or back. It's an elegant design. The result is something that looks and behaves amazingly similar to a cockroach, but simply consists of a vibrator (motor with weight), battery, and rubber legs. That's it!
The shapes of the case allows it to both bounce off of walls and right to themselves. They are unstoppable.
I don't know how long the battery lasts, but you can replace it.
My 2 year old LOVES them. He can easily turn them on or off, and he can't (short of immersing one in water) hurt them. He's given each of them names and attaches a lot of personality to them, he acts like they're pets. They are a good size for him, no moving parts to break. It's actually a brilliant little toy.
I kind of want to turn the habitat into a gambling game... roll a couple of them into a habitat (like dice) and first one to exit the open door wins. They are surprisingly entertaining.
Customer Review: Pretty slick little idea, attractive design, but a bit pricey
Summary: 4 Stars
I've noticed the Hexbugs every time I visit my local Radio Shack. On the last visit, I noticed the Nano. I'm a sucker for small robots (I collect all kinds), so I decided to do some research on the Nano to see just what it was. After watching a half dozen Youtube videos, I was sold. Went back, picked one up.
The Nano seems to me a little pricey for what it is: a small motor trapped in a plastic housing with rubber feet. However, it performs remarkably well to be SO simple. The guys at work have gotten a good laugh out of it. It really reminds me of a cockroach skittering across the floor (but a bit slower, thank goodness). The little thing takes off running, changing directions at random, and popping itself back upright should an obstacle cause it to fall over. Again, considering it'd just a spinning motor with rubber bumpers, that's a pretty impressive trick for something with ZERO external moving parts. I made the mistake of letting it wander into a big pile of stuff while showing it off, and almost never got it back out... it was like trying to catch a real bug!
Unless you tear off a few legs, the Nano seems like it should be nigh indestructible. It's lightweight enough that dropping it shouldn't hurt it, especially since the outer shell is rubberized. I haven't let mine run amok very long, so I can't say how long the battery life is going to be.
A neat thing I haven't seen anyone mention is the online registration. [...] has a really cool website set up just for the Nanos where you can sign in and register your bug. There are games to participate in (haven't tried them yet), and a virtual Nano "display case" that keeps track of the Nanos you own. Pretty neat for a kid that wants to turn Nano collector (which is kinda' the point, since there are multiple series with different colors and markings).
I'm already tempted to go back and buy a second one. Bring the price down to $5 a pop, and I'd say it's a 5 star toy.
Customer Review: Tiny but amazing robot toy.
Summary: 4 Stars
HexBug Nano are tiny, about an inch long, robots designed to behave like bugs. They move forwards with vibration and they are designed to find their way through maced or other forms of obstacles. Looking at the little robots in action they really give the impression that there is intelligence behind their movements. Nanos's comes in a multitude of colors making them ideal collectors items, and the low price make them excellent as beginner robots before you give a child a more expensive robotic toy.
Nano's run on two batteries, these last a long time but be aware that replacing them can be costly. The little robots are easy to operate, just hit the on switch and watch them go. You can buy mazes for these little artificial critters to and really whatever you are a kid or a geeky adult they are fun. I have three of them now I just can not get enough of HexBug nanos, they are just great toys.
Nanos are excellent as cat toys, they move around imitating bugs and that have a tendency to get the hunting instinct in cats going. The little robots are also sturdy enough to take the kind of abuse a playing cat will give it. I know some give the robots to dogs as well but i would not recommended it, they are to big for a cat to swallow, but a dog might eat them and choke on it.
One final things I want to comment about HexBug Nanos is that for woman they can function as a sort of...different toy. The robot is basically a small, strongly vibrating piece of plastic with soft rubber under it and along the edges. Let me just say that the robots can be quite...stimulating. Also they are discreet, they are only a inch long and no one would guess what you use it for if they find it in your purse.
In conclusion, HexBug Nano is a versatile, well made little robot. It is show surprisingly intelligent behavior, and no matter why you get one they are really quite fascinating. I definitely recommend these.
Customer Review: Hours of fun in a tiny package
Summary: 5 Stars
My kids each received one of these at a robotics camp this summer and immediately wanted to start a collection. Track can be purchased separately as a "habitat" for the Nano's, but it can get very expensive to accumulate. So instead, my son created intricate Lego mazes for the hexbugs to run through. (This of course, led to bringing other types of real bugs into the house to run the maze, but that's another story...)
These little Nano's are lots of fun to set loose on the counter or floor and play with - even for the adults. Just turn them on and they vibrate their way all over the place. One grandmother felt they moved a little too much like real roaches for her comfort, but the rest of us get a kick out of them. There's always lots of laughter when they're in play.
The only drawback I've seen to them is that some of them will track straight with no problem (of course bouncing off obstacles and correcting), while others will only turn in tight circles. Sometimes it seems that the little rubber legs contribute to which way they track and we've tried to bend them in other directions to compensate, with limited effect. That has led to some big frustrations at times. But put them in their own track or a maze, and they seem to navigate it just fine. Even just a shoebox lid can be a fun arena for them.
I got one for each of my kids and their cousins for Christmas this year and they played with them together for hours on Christmas day. The five year old cousin even insisted on sleeping with his that night. These little guys are definitely a hit!
Customer Review: Tons of fun!
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes I get more excited about a toy than my kids. I saw this online and watched a lot of videos on YouTube. I could not help but to get myself one.
The main mechanics in this toy is the vibrating motion. But that is not the amazing part, this toy moves like a real bug. It goes forward and turns depending on the terrain. No problem if it bumps into walls, it just turn and just keep on going and going. Even if you lay it on its back, it just picks up itself like a cat. It just won't run on carpet though. Battery included. Made in China.
There are so many creative things you can do. We built a Duplo obstacles with tunnels, and a labyrinth of puzzles. It just goes to every niche and nooks it can get where it feets bring him. If you put it on the floor, it just runs around everywhere, goes in and out of furniture. My 5-yr-old son even put it inside a box of cereal when I was not looking. I have to dig deep to find it as it burrowed itself into it. Tons of fun. My son now carries it everywhere like a real pet.
The feet and the upper part of the bug are made of rubber. It has 12 legs, 6 on each side. It looks very durable unless somebody intentionally steps on it like a roach. The lower part of the body where it houses a single AG13 button battery is made of hard plastic. The on and off switch is also located there. My son is playing with this almost 2 days nonstop and I am surprised that the battery still going strong. I already ordered a set of 20 batteries for less than three dollars from Amazon.