Innovation

Coolest tech and STEM toys for 2016 holiday shopping

By // November 17, 2016, 1:00 PM PST // teena_maddox

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  • Beasts of Balance

    Beasts of Balance is a game of strategy and skill that combines a tabletop format with an interactive, connected app to watch stacked up beasts come to life. $109.99

    Available at Beasts of Balance.

    Image: Beasts of Balance

  • Ubtech's Buzzbot and Muttbot kit

    Comes with everything needed to build the Buzzbot or Muttbot robots including six smooth motion robotic servo motors and 271 snap-together interlocking parts and connectors. $149.99

    Available at Toys R Us, Best Buy, Target, Fry's Electronics and Amazon.

    Image: Ubtech Robotics

  • Ubtech's Buzzbot

    Ubtech's Jimu Robot is an interactive robotic building block system that lets kids build, program and share their robot creations. Part of the Buzzbot and Muttbot kit for $149.99.

    Available at Toys R Us, Best Buy, Target, Fry's Electronics and Amazon.

    Image: Ubtech Robotics

  • Ubtech's Inventor kit

    Comes with everything needed to build six models including an elephant, giraffe, humanoid, mantis, rhino, and wolf. The kit includes sixteen smooth motion robotic servo motors and 675 snap-together interlocking parts and connectors. $399.99

    Available at Toys R Us, Best Buy, Target, Fry's Electronics and Amazon.

    Image: Ubtech Robotics

  • Ubtech's Explorer kit

    Comes with everything needed to build five models including a baby, parrot, penguin, T-Rex, and walrus. The kit includes seven smooth motion robotic servo motors and 372 snap-together interlocking parts and connectors. $199.99

    Available at Toys R Us, Best Buy, Target, Fry's Electronics and Amazon.

    Image: Ubtech Robotics

  • CodeGamer by Thames and Kosmos

    Learn programming through gaming. This kit introduces a child to programming in a step-by-step way. An Arduino-compatible gamepad connects wirelessly to a tablet. Using the gamepad and four interchangeable sensor modules, play through a video game app on a tablet. In each level of the game, the user must learn a piece of the Arduino programming language and how to use it in order to solve puzzles and challenges, and move forward in the game. $149.95

    Available at Toys 'R' Us and Amazon.

    Image: Thames and Kosmos

  • CogniToy Dino by Elemental Path

    The CogniToy Dino by Elemental Path is powered by IBM Watson's smart computer technology and Elemental Path's Friendgine technology. It interacts with children on a personalized level with educational jokes, games, stories, meditation techniques and more. $99.99

    Available at Toys R Us, Amazon and CogniToys.

    Image: CogniToy

  • da Vinci miniMaker

    The da Vinci miniMaker from XYZprinting is an educational stem toy 3D printer. $249

    Available at da Vinci.

    Image: XYZprinting

  • Galaxy Zega

    This game combines a mobile app with a real-life tank battle toy. Controlled with a Bluetooth-connected smart device app, up to four individual ZEGAs fight it out on a magnetic battlefield. As you play you unlock skills, bonus powers and increase lifetimes and the strategies get more and more complex to prevent boredom. $149 for starter kit.

    Available from Galaxy Zega.

    Image: Galaxy Zega

  • Piper Raspberry Pi Minecraft computer kit

    The Piper Raspberry Pi Minecraft computer kit allows children as young as six to build their own computer. Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak are among the fans of Piper's DIY kit.

    Available at Piper.

    SEE: Piper's Minecraft DIY computer kit teaches kids programming and engineering

    Image: Piper

  • MEL Science chemical eraser experiment

    MEL Science delivers two chemistry sets a month so that kids can learn more about science. $49.90 a month.

    Available through MEL Science.

    Image: MEL Science

  • MEL Science chemistry of monsters experiment

    MEL Science delivers two chemistry sets a month so that kids can learn more about science. $49.90 a month.

    Available through MEL Science.

    Image: MEL Science

  • MEL Science chemistry zinc carbon battery experiment

    MEL Science delivers two chemistry sets a month so that kids can learn more about science. $49.90 a month.

    Available through MEL Science.

    Image: MEL Science

  • Modarri Design and Driving building toys

    Modarri is less tech and more engineering, like Legos. For cars. These cars are designed just like regular automobiles, and you can build thousands of combinations. $23.99 for a deluxe car set.

    Available at Modarri.

    Image: Modarri

  • OPCOM Farm GrowBox indoor gardening system

    Teach kids about gardening with the OPCOM Farm GrowBox for indoor use.

    The GrowBox combines OPCOM's soil-free, hydroponic growing technology with proprietary color LED lighting tuned for optimal plant growth. These next generation indoor gardens enable 25% faster growth cycles, and eliminate the challenges of weeding, pests and weather normally associated with outdoor gardening. $499

    Available at OpcomFarm.

    Image: OPCOMLink USA

  • Ozobot Pocket Robot

    The Ozobot Pocket Robot is designed to be a fun toy and introduce children to STEM, teaching principles of science, technology, engineering and math. $99

    Available at Ozobot.

    Image: Ozobot

  • CHiP AI robotic dog

    CHiP (Canine Home Intelligent Pet) is an AI robotic dog first spotted at CES 2016. This newest version is a combination of wireless technology, telecommunications engineering and sensors. CHiP recognizes his master and responds to commands using the included SmartBand, a rechargeable wearable controller. CHiP also responds to hand gestures and voice commands. CHiP plays fetch and fun games with his SmartBall, and can even do yoga handstands. $199.99

    Available at WowWee.

    Image: WowWee

  • Special edition battle worn BB-8 with Force Band

    Channel your inner Jedi: with the Force Band by Sphero, worn on the wrist, you can now control your battle-worn BB-8 with the wave of a hand. $199

    Available at Disney.

    Image: Disney

  • Pocket Drone by Odyssey Toys

    This drone has fold-in motors so it can fit in your pocket. It's easy for beginners. Record HD videos and take high-resolution photos and save them onto the included 4GB micro SD card. This drone is the size of an iPhone 6. $99.95

    Available at Toys 'R' Us, Brookstone and Costco.

    Also see

    Image: Odyssey Toys

  • Itty Bitty City

    Itty Bitty City is a kit from Microduino that mixes real computer chips in with LEGO-compatible building blocks, so even young kids can make electronic projects such as spinning windmills and toy cars. The eight-in-one kit comes with electronic components including microphones, lights, motors and even a small computer. They're built into building blocks connected by wires that clip together. It ships on December 1. $129

    Available at Indiegogo.

    Image: Microduino

Beasts of Balance

Beasts of Balance is a game of strategy and skill that combines a tabletop format with an interactive, connected app to watch stacked up beasts come to life. $109.99

Available at Beasts of Balance.

Image: Beasts of Balance

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Innovation Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Internet of Things Smart Cities Hardware

By Teena Maddox

Teena Maddox is a Senior Editor at TechRepublic, covering hardware devices, IoT, smart cities and wearables. She ties together the style and substance of tech. Teena has spent 20-plus years writing business and features for publications including Peo...