Science isn’t cool, it isn’t fashionable and sadly it is on the decline. For years students have shunned an education in the sciences in favor of more artisic subjects such as design and dramatics.

But a new wave of robotic toys is awakening an interest in physics, and creating a new generation of scientists.

Hexbug Nanos appealed to children across the globe with their erratic motion, and ant-like swarming. And now the makers, Innovation First, have taken this technology and combined it with the latest playground craze, Moshi Monsters, to create Bobble Bots Moshlings.

Whilst it is tempting to buy a handful of Bobble Bots, and let your child amuse himself in his bedroom for hours on end, you would risk missing out on a great learning opportunity.

Ask your child to watch the Bot, then ask how the Moshling is managing to move around. Turn it upside down and you will find it has no legs, or wheels. It simply moves about because the motor inside makes it jiggle up and down with such enthusiasm that the Bot is propelled across a hard floor.

Try experimenting with soft surfaces and textured surfaces. If your child is old enough he may be able to explain himself why the movement changes, or a younger child will need your help to understand what is going on.

It doesn’t have to be Bobble Bots. Look around and you will find plenty of toys that use basic science principles and make them fun. If you can use these toys as a basis for a discussion with your child, you can awaken their inner scientist and maybe create a roboticist of the future.

Building robots for a hobby can be more beneficial than you think. It can really help you land a robotics technician job more quickly than you expect. Whether your interest in building robots began during your school days project or later in life, be thankful that it did. Being a robotics technician is not an easy feat and takes a lot of patience and creativity in order to pull out something almost impossible to do.

A robotics technician usually works with engineers (electronics, manufacturing, and mechanical), mathematicians, team heads, and scientists. Robotics technician has a responsibility of making appropriate calculations and sometimes adjust the robotic parts for better performance. A robotics technician job does not end with finishing the project. Proper functioning of the robotics rest on the shoulders of the technician, and he won’t be able to do it properly if he is not knowledgeable of his chosen craft or not updated.

Simply building robots for a hobby will not land you the technician job although you can gain some edge over other applicants without one. You need to have at least studied CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting), CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), microprocessors, pneumatics, electronics, hydraulics, and programming. The ideal candidate is someone who has at least three to five years welding or fabrication experience and hands-on repairing robotic cells. A degree in Electrical Engineering or Electronics will not be considered as a replacement for experience in fabrication environment. The finished degrees are not considered, but they are given preference by most robotics companies.

Some are taking a keen interest in being a robotics technician because it gives a chance to create something they regard as more worthwhile than anything. The fact that a robotic technician earns at least $44,000 and more has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to be a robotic technician.

Up until last year my favorite gift that I had received was my Brother PC-420 PRW sewing machine. Last year I received this super cool robot and it got me hooked on the whole robot thing. As of today, I have to say I am obsessed with robots and am always looking at ways to give robots to other people.

Here are some of my picks for the ultimate robot gift guide.

My Robot Nation

This company actually allows you to design your very own 3d robot online and then it will make the robot and ship it to you. There are hundreds of different variations you can choose from such as the size of the robot, the robot’s features and the colors. With this robot you not only get to give it as a gift you can personalize it and make it even more special.

Sphero

If you don’t mind spending some money on your gift, then this definitely should be on your gift giving list. It is a robotic ball that you control with your smart phone. You can play all sorts of different games with the ball all by controlling it with your phone. There are a few different apps that you can download and it allows you to do different things with the ball. You can even change the color and make it glow in the dark as well.

WowWee Robosapien Toy Robot

This robot has a personality that comes with it but also can do a lot of cool things. It has 4 programming modes and can do more than 80 different actions such as kung-fu moves, burp, give high five, and dance. It looks sort of like a futuristic soldier that is quite beefed up. You run the robot with a remote that can take some time to learn but there is an instruction booklet that comes with the toy and has everything you need to know about it. This is a fun toy for older children and adults.

Instead of giving the same old gifts, why not try out one of these cool robot gifts and make your loved one’s day extra special.

Although mechanical automation dates back to the ancient Greeks, digital and programmable robots didn’t appear on the scene until the late 1940s.

Robots became firmly implanted in pop culture in the 1960s as television characters like “The Jetsons” star, Rosie the Robot, and Robot from “Lost In Space” (think “Danger Will Robinson! Danger!”) graced the airways. “Star Wars” brought robots to the big screen, as R2-D2 and C-3PO introduced a whole new generation to the possibilities that robotics brings to the world.

Manufacturing

Robots are an integral part of the industrial sector, performing all sorts of tasks with a precision and consistency that humans cannot match. In the United States, robots are primarily used in manufacturing for handling raw materials and moving parts around the factories, although more and more companies are also using them for spot welding, parts installation, assembly and other jobs that are dirty, difficult or just plain dangerous.

As the cost of health insurance and other employee benefits continues to rise, more and more manufacturers are following the “automate or evaporate” mindset, and are able to eliminate many jobs by replacing humans with robots.

Medicine

People make mistakes, but errors made by doctors and surgeons are the most costly anyone could make. In fact, human error is responsible for between 50,000 and 100,000 deaths annually in the United States. Robots are now utilized in many aspects of medicine to prevent needless deaths.

The DaVinci Surgical System and NeuroArm deliver absolute precision while performing difficult surgeries. Robots have also been developed to deliver targeted radiation therapy to cancer patients, accurately dispense medicine, strengthen the muscles of those suffering from muscular dystrophy and keep heart patients alive.

The Future

Car manufacturer Honda introduced Aismo in 2011, a breakthrough robot developed to look like a human with two arms and two legs. Aismo is the first robot that is able to walk, run, go up and down stairs and perform other moves previously unheard of in the field of robotics. Perhaps Rosie the Robot wasn’t so far-fetched after all…