I remember as a kid watching some science or technology special in which researchers had developed a fully-functional insect-like robot. It all looked so fascinating and futuristic. And today we’ve come to a point where such “robots” can be bought as a very inexpensive little toys at Walmart. (Personally I would have also liked if we had flying cars and humanoid robot butlers, but for now I’ll settle for these little toys.)

These little robots are incredibly fast, so the first time you use them you might want to put them in a pretty controlled environment. (A room that is closed and fairly empty of furniture for instance.) The robot’s motion is very realistic and fairly smooth. It is obviously designed with the full attention to details. The robot will alter its stride in response to even the smallest protuberances on the surface, which makes for even more realistic motion. It can even flip from its back. From the educational point of view I find this toy immensely intriguing. It shows you in plain site – the belly of the robot is completely transparent – how a relatively simple mechanism can produce a very complex and life-like motion. It helps me, at least, understand the beauty of the evolved design of some simple real animals.

The toy is very small and has delicate and somewhat sharp parts, so it should not in general be given to really small kids. I did however buy this toy for our toddler, but I was always on hand when I turned it on. Our kid was both weary and intrigued by this toy. I think it’s a great gift in its own right, especially when he gets a bit older to fully appreciate it.