Armatron: The Robotic Arm

by Power Gear

Product Features

• Servo motors give you the power to reach and grip
• Extends to 26"
• Built-in light illuminates your gripping field
• Comes with fun fact booklet with cool illustrations
• For ages 5 to 12

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000FGMA2U
• Item model number: 8950
• Manufacturer recommended age: 5 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,036 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Armatron. Colors may vary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Toy, January 9, 2007

By 

Joe Burton "Gadget Guy" (Celina, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Armatron: The Robotic Arm (Toy)

My 6 year old son first saw this Robotic Arm over a year ago in a Toys 'R Us. Unfortunately by the time I went back to purchase it, it was gone. I've been looking for it ever since. I was extremely happy to find it on Amazon and purchase it for him. He was ecstatic. He's played with it daily and it seems to be sturdy enough and it even has a light in the end to see what you're picking up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not waste your money, April 1, 2009

By 

C. Kane Wyatt (PORTALES, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Armatron: The Robotic Arm (Toy)

This toy looks cool in the package, but it is poorly made. The claw no longer grasps after only three months. In fact the claw won't even open at all. My seven year old, who is very responsible with his toys and does not misuse them, is very disappointed in this cheap toy. The gears are all poorly constructed plastic. Don't let the name "Armatron" fool those of you who remember the TOMY Armatron sold by RadioShack back in the 1980s. This toy is junk and not worth any price.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic item!...If it were a bit more durable, August 21, 2008

By 

Lincoln J. Mennuti (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Armatron: The Robotic Arm (Toy)

Let's get right to the details.

^-- The Pros --^
~ The Robotic Arm has 2 "rocker" style buttons at the thumb position on top of the hand grip. One is for the auto extension/retraction of the telescopic arm (The arm extends about a good 8+ inches from its' size in the package), the other is for the opening/closing of the robot's grip.
~ There's also another button, which is at the trigger position. When you squeeze it, it turns on the light that's in the robot arm (so you can see what you're grabbing).

^-- The Cons --^
~ The motors used in the arm are fairly weak. Just strong enough to make the arm functional really, maybe even a little bit of picking small/light stuff up. This makes it safer for the younger ones, but would frustrate the older ones after the novelty of the robot wore off and they wanted to actually put it to some use.
~ I'd have liked to have seen stronger, more durable materials used. I don't really get a sense of longevity with the cheapy plastic construction. Again, not a big deal for the younger ones, but bigger/stronger kids that like to rough-house aren't going to be enjoying the Robot Arm for too long.

^-- Overall --^
When I received the Arm it was pretty much just set aside as a gift to which a recipient was to be decided. Once my Wife and I decided it was going to be given to our Nephew, I started fooling around with it in the package before wrapping.

WOW!!! I had NO IDEA how cool this thing is!! When I first ordered it I figured it was just another one of those gripper arm toys where you squeeze a simple lever to open/close the jaws...But once I fiddled with it and saw what the 2 rocker buttons did and the light trigger, all kinds of ideas started popping into my head about swapping in some high-torque motors and more durable parts...Until my Wife saw the gears turning in my head and reminded me that we'd already decided it was for our Nephew.

Of course our Nephew loved it and kept saying how cool it was...I've been monitoring the price on this thing and when it gets close to what I paid originally (wish I bought more at the time!), I plan on buying 2 or 3 more and making some "modifications" to bring it up to spec! :-)

^-- Conclusion --^
I wholeheartedly recommend it if you've got a child on your giftlist who likes tech and gadget type stuff...Heck, I'd recommend it if you had a grown-up on your giftlist that's into any form of robotics or likes tinkering with electronics :-)