More on Mai-Z from Ken

A couple of videos about the Mai-Z MouseBot from Ken Gracey at Parallax Inc.   

Parallax and Kitronik - Mai-Z MouseBot

Great news from our friend Ken at parallax.com in a recent news post. Ken shares...

Dear Educational Community,

For several years, we’ve been carefully considering the best way to support elementary educators using the micro:bit with robotics. Our goal has been simple: provide a reliable, engaging, and classroom-ready robotics solution for younger learners—without compromise.

We’re excited to share that we’ve found it! Parallax has partnered with Kitronik to bring the Mai‑Z MouseBot to our educational customers across the United States.

Why the Mai-Z MouseBot?

We evaluated many options—including designing our own product. But Mai-Z checked every box that matters to educators:

• Flexible programming options
  Screen-free tile coding or micro:bit programming with MakeCode
• Trusted design origin
  Developed by a known, established company—not an anonymous, ever-changing import from Amazon.
• Curriculum that’s ready to teach
  Free, structured, and supported—with a growing ecosystem
• Reliable long-term supplier partnership for Parallax
  Kitronik is a supplier we trust to support educators for years to come so you won’t be left with broken products on a shelf.
• A natural successor to S3
  A modern replacement for the S3 robot in elementary programs
• Accessible pricing
  Under $100, with full Parallax warranty and support
• Designed for engagement
  Built to capture student attention—even during breaks—and help teachers
  “Be the Classroom They Remember.”

Mai-Z MouseBot meets our elementary needs. We’re bringing this proven solution to you this Spring, with Parallax support. Expect to see the packages and prices by May 2026. 

Congrats to Kitronik. We look forward to many years of mouse-catching classrooms!

Sincerely, 

Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc. 

From 60 Minutes Overtime

How Boston Dynamics upgraded the Atlas robot - Atlas, a humanoid robot made by robotics company Boston Dynamics, has been upgraded from a version 60 Minutes saw in 2021, with joints that can fully rotate and hands that can grip a variety of objects.

Humanoid Robot in China Causes Confusion

A robot unveiled in China moved so much like a human that the company had to release a video after its debut to prove it is, in fact, a machine.

Uh, oh!

 

Behind the Scenes of a Classic

Brigitte Helm cooling off on the set of Fritz Lang's ''Metropolis''  in 1927. Great photo! See the bottom of the sidebar on the right for my hat tip to the film. 

If you have never seen the film, which is in black and white, here are some colorized excerpts from Rumble Dog Pictures on YouTube. What a powerful film for 1927! 

You can watch an HD Restoration of Metropolis, Fritz Lang's Expressionist Sci-Fi Silent Film Classic at this link on YouTube - https://youtu.be/9lzmO8pwDaI?si=YbuIWup4Xm4Mmg4e

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas from Robotics Under the Stole (8 bit Style)