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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.
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I am a teacher and in the summer I teach Robotics and I also run a Science Camp. Most of my purchases for the camp are more expensive items... things in the $50-$200 price range. I bought this on a whim thinking it might be a little fun. I truthfully didn't expect much from it. Around the same time, I bought a Wowwee Mr. Personality (MSRP $250), a Wowwee Tribot (MSRP $99), and a small Innovation First 6 legged walker (I forget the name of it MSRP $14.99).Out of all of these robots, the tiny, inexpensive ($8.15) bug gets the most play and the most attention. My students are in awe of it and we have had many discussions of how it is constructed and how it works.
I've dropped it several time and it always continues to run. If it is flipped on its backside it'll turn itself over in moments. The only place it struggles running it carpet. While it still vibrates, it does not move forward much when it makes its way to a carpeted surface.
At any rate it is one of about 20 different robots I own and it is both the cheapest and the best. I found a birthday gift for all of my nephews as well!!
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The HEXBUG Nano is a super cool robotic toy that easily entertains both children and adults. These little robots are small but wickedly fast. My husband and I were pitting them against each other and I felt like a kid again. We were so engrossed in our competition that before I knew it, an hour had passed. It was fun to watch them and see how they react to different objects. I kept wishing that they would spring to life and start talking. Maybe I like the Transformers movies a little too much... I had a great time playing with these and I think they would make an excellent Christmas present.Honest reviews on Hexbug Nano - Random
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.
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When I first heard of these I thought it was interesting that there was a prefab toy of a relatively unknown concept. Like some others, I thought it would be more useful or educational to make your own. HOWEVERthat was before I saw them live, with kids watching them. Little girls, toddlers, people who don't like robots unconditionally, squeal and laugh watching them. I have 2 girls, 3 and 7, and they love them.These things are so cute I could die! They're pretty and they go like gangbusters on smooth, hard surfaces (I have hardwood floors). I've made my own bristlebots and yet I bought 14 (count 'em, 14) of these. For myself, a grown-up. My children ask me if they can play with my "bugs" nearly every day (they have their own, but I have more than they do). Just for the record, I don't like other toy robots like Zhu-Zhu pets and Tickle-Me Anythings; I find them creepy.
If you're totally horrified by the movement of insects, hexbug nanos may creep you out. I did show some to at least one adult who disliked it for that reason. I find it delightful myself. If you've ever watched ants eating crumbs off the sidewalk, you'll probably like these too. You would swear that these little machines are sniffing and exploring just from their random movement, which makes me wonder how much of real insect movement is random.
I'd suggest buying at least 2 because a good chunk of fun can be had by watching them push and struggle, sumo-like, through the narrow bridges that come with the sets. If you're strapped for cash, buy 2 bugs alone and put them in a sheet cake pan or other walled container with tunnels and barriers made of halved paper towel rolls or pencils or whatever. Little pom-poms or crumpled paper balls are also fun; they'll push them about.
Though I have 14, I only run 2-3 of them at a time now. When I ran them all at once in one of the big habitats, they pushed each other in the bridges so much that several fell out and ran under the bed, laundry baskets, were picked up by the cat who ran off with it, etc. It's too many to watch at once, and the walls in the habitats are too low to contain so many.
Though it's not stretchy, the soft rubbery shell and legs could probably be torn or bitten off by the dedicated vandal. I've had to instruct my 3-year old not to pull or squash them too hard or the legs would deform, which would probably alter the movement. They're pretty tough though; neither the 3-year old nor the cat have wrecked them yet.
Finally, don't buy the hexbot-brand replacement batteries. It's much cheaper to find a multi pack of AG13 button cell batteries online.
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