100% Money Back Guarantee
NEW: build/program at home with our custom Modded LEGO-Arduino mBot Robot Kit
For 1/3 the price of a LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics set (although we use those too!) you can get our Arduino robot that has the same sensors, uses the same programming languages (Scratch and Python), and is compatible with all the LEGO and LEGO TECHNIC parts you have at home thanks to our custom modifications.
Comprehensive and Engaging STEM / STEAM learning has never been this fun, easy, or cost-effective!
Solve Real-World Engineering Challenges by building with LEGO and coding with Scratch or Python
Don’t just build cool things. Build cool things that really work!
Our world-class instructors demonstrate each challenge interactively, along with the key engineering concepts that students will be utilizing.
Our curriculum is hands-on, evidence-based, and designed to inspire countless hours of independent inventing/coding. We aren’t just teaching skills – we aim to jumpstart an extracurricular hobby and ignite a lifelong passion for STEM.
Ages 7-14 Learn & Play Online (and offline) with Like-Minded Peers
The Live Interactive aspect of our our camps/lessons enables students to:
a) share LEGO robot tips & tricks
b) get help with their robotics engineering projects so that they don’t get stuck or discouraged
c) make LEGO-loving friends!
Individualized Instruction from World-Class Adult Engineering Mentors
Michael
Position: Head Instructor
Michael Vawter (aka “The Robot Guy”) won 1st place out of 10,000 teams from 39 countries at the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition two years in a row, was inducted into the National Gallery for Young Inventors, and has published peer-reviewed vision science.
Michael’s passion for LEGO robotics began at the age of 9 when he got his first LEGO MINDSTORMS set. He built a robot that turned off his bedroom lights automatically, which saved him from getting in trouble for leaving them on. As a middle schooler, Michael was lead programmer, builder, tester, and handler for the MindStorm Troopers FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team. They competed for four years, becoming the first (and only?) team to win 1st place Robot Performance at the FLL World Festival two years in a row. Michael later co-founded the Robot Academy and has taught thousands of students how to master LEGO robotics. He’s been featured in Popular Science Magazine, and was on TV with Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Michael graduated from Denison University in 2011 and went on to earn a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation from Seton Hill. He has continued to contribute to the FLL community by serving as a judge and referee at the state and world level. He has also coached and mentored teams of his own (some of whom have won international titles of their own). In his ongoing career as a robotics teacher, Michael helps students and teachers to analyze and solve technological problems more creatively by integrating their right-brain and left-brain capacities.
Michael
Head Instructor
Michael Vawter (aka “The Robot Guy”) won 1st place out of 10,000 teams from 39 countries at the FIRST LEGO […]
Nick
Position: Online Robot Genius
Nick is an electrical engineer who loves LEGO and has a background in marine robotics. He’s worked with remote operated vehicles that explore shipwrecks and other underwater seascapes. Originally from Massachusetts, he studied at UMass Amherst and now lives in Seattle with his girlfriend Emilia and their cat Norbert. Nick loves helping students to explore robotics and have fun with STEM.
Nick
Online Robot Genius
Nick is an electrical engineer who loves LEGO and has a background in marine robotics. He’s worked with remote operated […]
Lea
Position: Online Robot Genius
Lea is a Mechanical Engineering major and Graphic Design minor at Michigan State University who loves combining creative problem solving and technical know-how. She has a passion for teaching kids about STEM, and throughout college has volunteered with MSU Science Theatre, traveling across Michigan to do science shows for kids. She has also lead Lego robotics and video game coding summer camps for children aged 8 – 11. In her free time, she likes to draw, sew, and play guitar.
Lea
Online Robot Genius
Lea is a Mechanical Engineering major and Graphic Design minor at Michigan State University who loves combining creative problem solving […]
Melissa
Position: Online Robot Genius
Melissa is a candy-bar powered student at Utah State University dual majoring in Marketing and Computer Science. She has a passion for STEM education and has worked with inventions, maker clubs, electronics, and junk drawer robotics. She mentored the Utah BAPC First Lego League team and has been the recipient of several technical awards including national NCWIT and IJSHS. When not experimenting with robots, she spends her time Irish dancing, baking, and rock climbing.
Melissa
Online Robot Genius
Melissa is a candy-bar powered student at Utah State University dual majoring in Marketing and Computer Science. She has a passion […]
Matthew
Position: Online Robot Genius
Matthew is an Electrical Engineering and Product Design student at Lehigh University. Matthew has been building robots since his sophomore year in high school, when he founded his school’s robotics club and VEX robotics team. Since then, Matthew has developed the “Robotics Crash Course,” a two-week middle school science curriculum about building Arduino robots from scratch. Matthew was also the chair of the STEAM department at the Academy of Creative Education in 2018, and worked as a Product Engineering Co-Op at Crayola in Fall 2019, designing custom 3D models to assist with testing and the product development process. His upcoming book Arduino for Artists explores using programming and electronics to facilitate artistic expression. Matthew is passionate about STEAM and design, and is excited to help students learn to make anything they can dream of!
Matthew
Online Robot Genius
Matthew is an Electrical Engineering and Product Design student at Lehigh University. Matthew has been building robots since his sophomore […]
Sriram
Position: Online Robot Genius
Sriram is a Computer Science major at the University of Connecticut and has been a Lead Instructor at both Kumon and CodeNinjas, teaching kids ages 6-16. Sriram has lead summer camps for students in both video game design as well as drone programming and he has a passion for legos and computer science. He has been building with Lego Robots for the past 7 years and has brought various Lego Robots to his high school invention showcase and has won awards for his creations. He has created apps as well as AWS websites and is an experienced programmer in languages such as Python, Java, and C. In his spare time, Sriram loves to play the drum set and learn new programming languages. Sriram loves to work with kids and is excited to help instill a life long passion for STEM!
Sriram
Online Robot Genius
Sriram is a Computer Science major at the University of Connecticut and has been a Lead Instructor at both Kumon […]
What Parents Are Saying...
Thanks for all of your hard work and encouragement for the kids this week. It has been so fun to see what they are able to do in a virtual camp! Graham has also loved the chance to meet kids his age who are interested in the same things as he is and would like to participate again
Finding this camp was like discovering gold-- we had been on the search locally for something like this to no avail. When I found Robot Academy had camps online, my son was beyond thrilled. His experience was fantastic and he enjoyed learning, sharing ideas and finding like-minded people. We are signing up for the upcoming camp and whatever future offerings there are! I hope you will continue the online format even after it's not necessary. We love joining you from Virginia. THANK YOU!
Thank you so much. I haven’t seen him so happy in a while! He loves the idea of being in an advanced group. Everything he knows has been self-taught. He is excited about being with other like-minded kids so I appreciate all of the social time/sharing ideas in addition to the instruction! So nice!
We love Robot Academy! Our son loves building LEGO and this camp helped our son not only improve his building skills but also learn some programming and robotics. He built some very cool designs and made friends. This is an online program so he learned with kids from across the country. The online program works very well and is quite hands-on. We highly recommend.
It's hard to believe it's been almost 7 years since my son (Nick) attended his first Lego Robotics camp. Time goes by too fast and I had almost forgotten about it until we were cleaning his room and ran across one of the trophies he won. I realized; I never sent a proper "Thank You" for hosting such an amazing activity. It seems like just yesterday when he came home jabbering about the new friends he met and the fun he had after his first day of camp. It was one of the first times he felt he "fit in" as all the kids on his "team" had similar interests. It made my heart melt. He attended a few camps over the years and even volunteered a few times for you at some weekend events. Alas...high school is filled with so many activities to try and participate in, Lego camp was put aside to make room for cross country and studies. He is a senior applying to college now. He has decided to pursue a major in biophysics or bioengineering. He loves science and is looking forward to designing safety equipment or medical devices. I can't help but think your camp helped ignite his interest as well as let him see there were so many other kids who liked it as well. It helped him realize, he could embrace his interests and talents rather than try to be "someone else" so others would appreciate/value him. Thanks for fostering his interests as well as giving him the opportunity to work as a robot genius.
Student Project Examples
3 Ways to Participate in our hands-on online programs
(1) Already Have a Robot?
Use the Makeblock mBot, the new LEGO MIDNSTORMS Robot Inventor set (51515), the LEGO EV3 set, the LEGO NXT set, or a compatible Arduino robot. If you’re not sure whether or not your robot is compatible with our curriculum, call/email to make sure your robot will work: info@robot-academy.com | (614) 769-7626
(2) Hardware Bundle: Makeblock mBot LEGO/Arduino Robot with Robot Academy Technic Mod - Shipped to You!
The Makeblock mBot Arduino robot comes with color and distance sensors, and can be driven via remote control or programmed using Scratch or Python. Thanks to our custom modifications, you can use any LEGO (or LEGO Technic/Mindstorms) parts you already own to expand your robot’s capabilities! The set will arrive prior to your online program, and it’s yours to keep! Our programs ignite a passion for independent exploration and inventing, so you can expect that your student will still be using the robot long after our sessions have concluded.
(3) Hardware Bundle: LEGO Robot Inventor Set (51515) - Shipped to You!
LEGO’s own robotics set is more expensive than the mBot, but it comes with lots of LEGO parts and 4 motors (the mBot comes with 2), so the possibilities are endless!
Parents can relax (or get work done) while kids build and program
We don’t just entertain/enrich our students during class… our interactive online STEM classes inspire kids to work with their robot on their own as well, which means hours of off-screen engagement.
Our programs are approved as qualified expenses for the Dependent Care Reimbursement Program.
Small Group Online Lessons
Individualized Learning + Social Time With Like-Minded Peers
- Personalized instruction tailored to your student's unique skills and interests.
- Social interaction with other LEGO fans reinforces learning and helps kids to connect.
- Pay $0 when you enroll. We'll match you with a learning cohort based on your student's age, interests, background, and availability. Pay before the first lesson.
- Kids learn in groups of 2-4 with one ultra-qualified adult instructor.
- Optional Private Cohort: sign up with 1 or more friend to form a private group. Let us know in the comment section who you'd like to be paired with.
- Optional FIRST LEGO LEAGUE focus: enrich and empower your FLL team with instruction from a two-time World Festival champion.
Already have a robot?
Arduino Robot Bundle
MINDSTORMS Robot Bundle
Private Online Lessons
Hire a Personal Robotics Mentor For Your Student
- One-on-one mentorship and instruction 100% tailored to your student.
- 60-minute sessions with flexible scheduling to fit your needs.
- Siblings and friends can participate in the sessions for free.
- Once you purchase a plan, we'll connect via phone or email to help you select an instructor and book a time.
- Optional FIRST LEGO LEAGUE lessons: learn from an instructor who won 1st place Robot Performance at the FLL World Festival twice.
Already have a robot?
Online Interactive Summer Camp
- Fun 2hr Sessions Monday-Friday
- Build & Code Robots to Solve Problems Around the House
- Earn a Robot Academy Certification in SCRATCH Coding and Robotics Engineering
- Earn a Trophy and T-Shirt (mailed to you)
- Students Make Like-Minded Friends while Learning
- Direct Instruction (via Zoom) from World-Class Adult Mentors
- Maximum of 6 Students per Instructor
- All Skill Levels Welcome - Activities are Customized to Student Needs