Micro:Maqueen Plus - Advanced STEM Educational Robot for Micro:bit

If you’re a robotics enthusiast, or have been looking for a way to become one for a while now, you’ll know that the complexities of robotics often result in the classic “Where do I even start?” problem. Fortunately, while in the past we had to go to university or get employed by a company just to get a taste at robotics, nowadays will all kinds of incredible Modules, components, embedded systems and microcontrollers, we now have access to everything we need to enjoy Hobbyist Electronics and robotics in the comfort of our own homes. And of course, as all of these cool electronics have become ever more accessible to us in modern times, fantastic brands like Micro:Bit have not just noticed this, but acted upon it, and we now have access to awesome Robotics Kits too, to help make learning and experimentation both easy and affordable, and to allow us all to enjoy the wonders and marvels that is modern day electronics and Robotics.

The Micro:Maqueen Plus is a reasonably Advanced STEM Educational Robot designed specially for the Micro:bit Educational Development Board, and is built to make learning and experimentation and easy and accessible as possible, with this kit including almost everything you need to get an advanced robot up and running, with it just needing a “brain” microcontroller to tell it what to do. It is actually a more advanced version of the more young-learner focus Micro:bit Micro:Maqueen Lite, but whereas the Lite version was built for schools and younger To-Be-Makers, this more complex Plus version caters more towards high school students, college students and workshops. So, as you can expect, the Micro:Maqueen Plus includes a lot of the features that the Micro:Maqueen Lite does, but steps up quite drastically in a lot of major and minor aspects, with more power, more diverse operations, and far more upgradability as you advance your skills, learn how to add all kinds of Sensors and modules, and ultimately work your way up to becoming the Robot Overlord you’ve always dreamed of being.

The Awesome Features of the Micro:Maqueen Plus STEM Robot:

In terms of the functionality, there’s a lot that the Micro:Maqueen Plus has to offer, so to start, we invite you take a look through the Micro:Maqueen Lite Description to get a basic idea, and on this page we’ll go over what’s improved, added and integrated to make this kit even more exciting than the Lite edition:

• More Sensors, LEDs & Expansion Ports – While the Maqueen Lite certainly does have a lot of cool little features strewn about the board, the Maqueen Plus takes it to the next level, with 6 greyscale sensors that feature both digital and analog output for more than just line tracking, 9 general purpose I/O expansion ports for adding inputs, outputs, sensors and other components, 3 I2C ports for even more serial modules, as well as 3 dedicated servo ports for all kinds of mechanical addons like turrets, scoops, cranes and much more.
  
  
• Higher Performance Materials & Motors – Next up, you’ll probably notice that rather than just being built from a PCB chassis, the Maqueen Plus brings proper mechanical structure to the table, with a study design and durable materials that allow it to take a reasonable amount of force in terms of carry-weight, impacts and other real-world stresses. This is complemented with advanced motors as well, giving the Maqueen Plus more power when it needs to work hard, with integrated encoders and PID control to ensure precision motion on all kinds of different surfaces.
  
  
• Diverse Microcontroller Support – Finally, as if to add the proverbial cherry on top of the metaphorical sundae, the Micro:Maqueen Plus is built to support more than just the Micro:bit Series of MCUs, and is also compatible with other development boards like Arduino and Espressif Systems, and this is definitely a key feature for anyone who wants to take their skills and knowledge of electronics and robotics further. With this awesome design, you can go from absolute beginner, using a convenient and simplified Micro:bit Dev’ Board to learn and experiment, all the way up to university level, in which you create automated vehicles that obey traffic laws and avoid obstacles and other vehicles on the road. Of course, as with anything in life, it’s going to take some time get to that level, but fortunately, with the Micro:Maqueen Series of robots, every step of the way is guaranteed to be fun.

Please Note: This awesome little robot kit will require a microcontroller to work, and is compatible with both the original Micro:Bit Dev’ Board, as well as the newer Micro:bit V2 Dev’ Board, so take a look at these and choose the one that suits you best so that you can operate your Micro:Maqueen Plus. Furthermore, this Plus variant of the Micro:Maqueen is also compatible with Arduino Boards and ESP32 Boards as well, allowing for even more versatile and personalised applications.

Additional Resources:

• Although we tried to touch on all of the key features in this description, we also invite you take a look through the original DFRobot Micro:Maqueen Plus Product Page, as this page features a range of visual demonstrations, examples and other handy info to help you understand just how awesome this little (but powerful!) robot is.
  
  
• Next up, if you want to see what kinds of fun tutorials await you, be sure to check out this Collection of Micro:Maqueen Plus Tutorials for use with MakeCode, which offers a great introduction to the hardware as well as guides from IR remote control to autonomous line tracking.
  
  
• Finally, if you want to explore some of the finer details, take a minute to look through the Micro:Maqueen Plus Digital User Manual, which goes quite in-depth into the cool features, as well as how it differentiates itself from the smaller Maqueen Lite.

Of course, for all of your visual learners who want to enjoy a visual demonstration of what to expect when you get your Micro:Maqueen Plus, then check out the following video by Wagner’s TechTalk, which covers the unboxing, some of the key features, the basic build, as well as how to program the Micro:bit Dev Board that you choose This Wagner’s TechTalk Guides & Resources Page is the page that he’s referencing in his video, and is sure to provide some great insights and useful resources too:

An open source brand with a heart for computer education, Micro:Bit began with the release of their small development board in 2016. The brand shot into teacher’s classrooms and into the hands of children and adults alike, who were ready to learn. The Micro:Bit board does everything in the most tangible way, allowing you to learn practically at every step. Soon, the Microbit Education Foundation sprung to life and produced a website full of free educational resources and lesson plans. Students have the chance to create games, explore coding and design robotics projects. All with the help of Micro:Bit’s easy to understand educational platform! We stock an array of Micro:Bit products, including full educational kits and robotics projects for you to build. Let Micro:Bit bring fun to your first ever electronics project, and enjoy embarking on a whole new creative journey.