Marty the Robot

Marty the Robot is a humanoid robot. Humanoid robots are the most exciting tool for making STEM learning engaging for all students. Marty is designed for educators and learners, is simple to use, incredibly robust, and state-of-the-art. And Marty can walk, dance and eyebrow-wiggle like no rolling robot can! Marty is equipped with a unique walking mechanism, with each individual limb controlled by a separate motor. This means Marty can turn, kick a ball, and much more while being more stable than other walking robots.

Marty comes with extensive technical support from our dedicated team, and an ever-growing set of curriculum-linked lessons and activities suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced coders.

Sequence of Learning

Marty supports learning progression from unplugged coding to block-based programming and all the way to text-based real-world coding language, Python.

Perfect for K-8

Apart from coding and STEM, Marty integrates perfectly into other areas of learning, such as math, languages, music, social-emotional learning, and more. Now with added sound functionality.

Ease of Use

Classroom-ready with simple Bluetooth pairing, extra batteries, and a charging cradle. Marty has a 2-3 hour run time when charged and is fully assembled, ready to go out of the box! 

Fun & Engaging

Marty is a humanoid robot with a *big* personality that creates an instant human connection and engages learners in a way no rolling ball can.

Standards Aligned

A  STEM class-in-a-box solution. Marty has lesson plans aligning to CSTA, ISTE, and other national and regional curriculum standards.

Professional Development

1:1 training calls with our in-house experts included, so you can feel confident using Marty straight out of the box.

Try Before You Buy

Robotical is loaning Marty for FREE, two-week school trials. To book, go to: https://robotical.io/free-trial

 

Technical Considerations

In addition to working Unplugged, Marty the Robot works on iPads, Android tablets, or via web app.  For the web app, use a Chrome Browser or Microsoft Edge browser on Chromebooks, windows PCs, or Macs.  Plan to pair via Bluetooth. 

Marty does not require student sign-ins, so there are no concerns about Personally Identifiable Information. Programs are saved locally on the student’s device. Programs can be shared by saving them to the cloud with a system-generated URL with a random string of 20 characters.  Students can then share this URL with their teacher (e.g., through a learning management system such as Schoology).

In the standard configuration, Marty the robot comes with color and IR (obstacle and ground) sensors on both feet, and an accelerometer (to detect motion or acceleration) on the head.  The classroom pack also includes one distance sensor for every 5 robots.   Add-on sensors for light and noise are available for an additional charge. 

Cost

Shop School Packs

  • Classpack of 5 - $2,225

  • Classpack of 10 costs $4,450

  • Classpack of 15 costs $6,450

 

Note: the lessons and software are free. Marty comes with a 2-year warranty and there is no annual maintenance fee. 

Advantages

Research has shown that students relate better to a humanoid robot and thus are more engaged in learning. The programmable eye colors, walking, dancing, and sounds (pre-recorded, user-recorded, and text-to-speech) provide robust outputs. Youngsters build affinity with Marty, which makes it particularly beneficial for social-emotional learning. 

  • In Unplugged mode, Marty can be used screen-free. 

  • Marty Jr is a Scratch Jr.-style interface.  MartyBlocks is a Scratch-style interface. Marty the Robot aligns nicely with other non-robotics coding lessons in Scratch Jr/Scratch. 

  • Marty has a low floor, high ceiling, and wide walls.  Marty has the breadth to cover multiple grades with developmentally appropriate interfaces, allowing it to be used by kindergarteners but grow with the student up to the upper grades with Python. 

  • The classpacks come with a charging cradle that allows each battery pack to get a full charge in two hours.  Classpacks have two battery packs per robot. Since Marty runs for around 2-3 hours when charged, this gives you plenty of useable time during the school day. 

  • Marty supports rigorous robotics and engineering student-based learning. The web app includes a sensor dashboard that provides real-time graphing of sensor inputs. With the MartyBlocks interface, sound capability supports pre-supplied sounds, user recordings, and text-to-speech. 

  • For your multilingual learners, MartyBlocks can translate speech output into many languages, and the coding blocks are also available in different languages.

Disadvantages

Marty the Robot costs more than simpler robots.  You need to weigh the enhanced functionality versus your budget considerations. With wheel based (e.g., Code & Go Robots), the accuracy of movement distances is better (e.g., they run straighter and at a consistent distance), so they are better suited for Grid Style curricular lessons.

 

Sample Lessons

Marty the Robot has over 100 free lessons aligned with CSTA and other standards.  These lessons include cross-curricular activities. 

Activities demonstrated:

 

For further information:

  • Math (Compare Angles – Lesson 2 of 2)

  • ELA (Speaking and Listening: Tell me what happened)

  • Science (We Need Light to See)


For further information, Marty the Robot Home,  Getting Started Video, How to Use the Learning Portal Video.