It used to be the case that anyone who wanted to create a robot from scratch would require a degree from MIT (an awfully distinguished US University and not a misspelt glove), more tools than your dad and granddad had combined, and a grant from the government. Now you can find robot technology almost everywhere you look, from toy shops to hospitals. Finally, someone has put together a kit that allows you to build your very own robotic arm, and all it takes is a screwdriver and an afternoon of tinkering fun.
The Robotic Arm kit arrives disassembled and contains all the pieces you'll need to make your very own desktop droid. It's remarkably easy to set up - we managed to do it in a couple of hours - so you don't need to stress about soldering or advanced electronic engineering: as long as you have a screwdriver and some wire cutters you have all you need to get started from the moment you open the box. Once it's finished you'll have hours of fun finding out exactly what it can and can't do, using its controller to power the five joints and motors to swing the arm around and pick things up with its pincer like grippers - complete with spotlight for night work. So far we've managed to get it to take a pen from one side of the desk to the other, but it got upset when we tried to make it fetch our tea (luckily for us, the tea was cold) - it can only lift a maximum of 100g, you see. The best thing about it is that once your friends and family have stopped arguing over who gets to have a go next, you can swell with pride and tell them "I made that".
Which way are we leaning: Rooibos or regular? Milk: yes or no? The standard sugar inquiry, a two-part question if the first answer is yes.
And if you have your black belt in tea-making, one final question concerning the tea bag: in or out?
How are you supposed to remember that all if you're making tea for, oh say, 3 people?
It doesn't concern today's deals at all, but we had to think about something while we waited for the kettle to boil.