This! Just! In!

Just what IS a Wee Blinky? Good question, and for that, we have a super confusing answer. As far as we are concerned, the Wee Blinky kit developed by the amazing Dale Wheat is a Automatic Diagnostic Signal Light. And it's also a Brain Washer. Furthermore, it's a Self-Destruct Mechanism and a Blink-Eye Plasma Accelerator. Oh yeah, and because, as the packaging states, "Every robot needs a head!", it's also a Mini-Bot Head.

At long last, the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair marries 826michigan! As many of you know, the robot shop is the storefront for 826michigan, a nonprofit writing lab and tutoring center for students aged 6-18. This summer, 826 crafted a workshop in which students learned how to solder and constructed Wee Blinkies (thanks, Dale Grover, our teacher!), and then developed said blinkies into different products for the shop. They came up with names, tag-lines, and warnings for the products, and then wrote all the copy that should be included on the packaging.

Out of fifteen entries, we picked our five favorites, through a series of polls, meetings, focus groups, and the development of a robot we created, the BetterBotBestBot, a charming -- and really, kind of frustrating (he is a bit of a know-it-all) little guy who has been programmed to determine what the "best" is from a set of data.

And the results are in! And starting tomorrow, October 1, you can see them. Here's a sneak peek:


That's the Automatic Diagnostic Signal Light, developed by Jacob, an eleven-year-old Ann Arborite and product development genius.

Stop by the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair and check them out! Perhaps your bot needs a Brain Washer -- "The Reset Button," developed by Noah Luntzlara; or a Self-Destruct Mechanism -- "If You Don't Like It, Don't Worry, It'll Take Care of That," developed by Daniel Drew. Maybe it's time for your bot to finally have a head with Nate LaMoreaux's Mini-Bot Head. And does your robot need eyes...in the dark? If so, you really ought to check out Haden Plouffe's Blink-Eye Plasma Accelerator.

You owe it to yourself. And your robot.