Bigtrak Junior

Product Information

The bigtrak, also written BIG TRAK, and Big Trak, was one of the first high-end super toys with a programmable microprocessor. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. BigTrak is a chunky programmable floor robot with shooting sound effects and an optional rocket launcher accessory. BigTrak is perfect for situations where you want to introduce a bit of coding in a really engaging way.

Robotics go back to the future with the retro looks of smash-hit 80s toy Bigtrak working together with high-tech smartphone technology. Meanwhile, in the 2000s and 2010s, many people have hacked the Bigtrak by allowing it to be controlled with modern microcontrollers such as the Arduino, or even a single board Personal Computer such as the Raspberry Pi. BIG TRAK / bigtrak is a programmable toy electric vehicle created by Milton Bradley in 1979, resembling a futuristic Sci-Fi tank / utility vehicle, possibly for use on the Moon or a Planetoid style environment. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. It is an updated version of Bigtrak, its form based on the Bigtrak Jr with the 'cockpit' modified to be much smaller and streamlined.The accessories are: Camera (XTRcam), computer communication module (XTRCom) that also allows another accessory to be plugged to it, light (LightBar), Infrared emitter (IRGun), and projectiles (XTRMissile). For educational settings it's worth checking out the Probot, an educational car-shaped floor robot which is designed for educational use. Kids can program it from the keypad to navigate courses around a room using motion and direction commands. The Junior version also comes with a set of moon craters that can be used as obstacles to navigate around.

This electrical isolation helps prevent electrical noise from the motor, speaker, and lamp from resetting or interfering with the microcontroller. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making. Some schools have even used BigTrak as part of their curriculum due to its affordability and kid-appeal. However, the hardware on the late 1970s and early 1980s Bigtraks does not seem to be capable of processing any In command.There's also a blast effect that can be included in programs with a cool retro sound - this is always popular. Games magazine included Big Trak in their "Top 100 Games of 1981", finding it a "great challenge is to program Big Trak to run through an obstacle course, without pacing off the distances". However, there was no provision for an accessory, and its motion sensor was based on a cheaper reed switch instead of an opto-isolator.