As parents, we all want our children to succeed in life. We want them to be happy and healthy and to have the skills they need to achieve their dreams. Investing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) toys is essential.

At CircuitMess, we believe that STEM toys are the key to unlocking your child’s full potential. Our range of fun, engaging, and educational toys are designed to help children develop critical skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Here’s why STEM toys are essential for your child’s development:

1. STEM Toys Teach Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills
2. STEM Toys Improve Concentration and Focus
3. STEM Toys Teach Teamwork and Collaboration
4. STEM Toys Develop Critical Skills for the Future

1. STEM Toys Teach Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills

STEM toys are designed to be both fun and educational. They encourage children to think creatively, use their imagination, and solve problems. CircuitMess's toys allow children to explore, experiment, and build their gadgets, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills.

For example, children can learn about robotics and programming with Armstrong by building their robotic arm. They can use their imagination to design and program Armstrong for specific tasks, fostering their creativity and problem-solving skills. However, they must also be cautious while building and programming it to ensure it functions properly.

2. STEM Toys Improve Concentration and Focus

STEM toys require children to focus on the task, improving their concentration. Children learn to concentrate better, block out distractions, and complete tasks by dedicating their attention to a particular project. CircuitMess toys are designed to keep children engaged and focused on the project.

3. STEM Toys Teach Teamwork and Collaboration

STEM toys encourage teamwork, and children work together to solve problems. In doing so, they learn how to collaborate, communicate and compromise with others. CircuitMess toys provide an excellent opportunity for children to work together and learn from each other.

CircuitMess kit bundles are an excellent option for parents looking to promote teamwork and collaboration among their children. With multiple products included, the bundles allow more kids to work together on projects, fostering their communication and cooperation skills. This can make for a fun and educational next play date activity. The children can learn from each other and work towards a common goal with the help of CircuitMess STEM toys. Find the perfect bundle for the next play date here!

4. STEM Toys Develop Critical Skills for the Future

STEM skills are in high demand in the workforce. STEM toys help children develop skills that they will need in the future, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning. They also teach children to learn from failure, think outside the box, and adapt to new situations. CircuitMess toys are designed to develop these critical skills in children, preparing them for a bright future.

Why Choose CircuitMess STEM Toys?

CircuitMess STEM toys are an excellent investment for parents who want to help their children develop critical skills for the future. These toys are fun and engaging and provide children with the tools they need to succeed in the future.

With CircuitMess STEM toys, children can foster a love for learning and prepare themselves for a bright future. Invest in CircuitMess STEM toys today and give your child the gift of education and play! 

AI

As we grow up, we have to learn new things and take further actions that help us discover new meanings, allowing us to learn from past experiences. The exact process digital computers or computer-controlled robots use when they use artificial intelligence.

Then how could we explain AI? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability to simulate human intelligence processes such as discovering meaning, ability to reason, generalizing, or learning from past experience. Artificially intelligent machines can remember behavior patterns and adapt their responses according to learned behaviors. Once all these happen, computer systems use algorithms that allow them to perform tasks such as decision-making, speech recognition, visual perception, and translation between languages.

Now, if you ever asked yourself if robots are an example of Artificial Intelligence, get ready to get disappointed. Our answer is no, not exactly. If you ever watched Terminator or the movie I, Robot, most of you remember superintelligent systems and supercomputers that deemed the human race. In most movies, Hollywood depicts AI as superintelligent robots. However, robotics and AI are two completely separate fields. Yet, these two fields can overlap to create artificially intelligent robots in today's world.

Personal robot for every day use

The perfect examples are the warehouse or household robots. These robots use path-finding algorithms to navigate around, whereas an AI algorithm helps them perform more complex tasks. Nonetheless, these complex tasks are nothing like what you would see in an apocalyptic movie, as these robots would need to learn a million little patterns to become even in the slightest, super independent. Still, even if they would, they would not become that powerful. So, no need to get scared by robots just yet.

If you wish to understand more about how AI works in tech, check our Wheelson STEM box. This AI-powered robot demonstrates how autonomous vehicles work. Yet again, to understand how this works, we must address the types of AI.

Wheelson STEM box; AI self-driving car

4 Types of AI

Machines use different processes to perform various tasks. Technologies that make AI perform are machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and deep learning.

ML refers to a process where a machine learns from ongoing feedback from algorithms and humans and the data from this feedback. ML then helps the device respond and adapt better before making new actions.

NLP is a linguistic tool that enables machines to interpret and read human language by translating human language into computer inputs. Pretty cool, right? Think of it as "machines language".

Deep learning is a type of machine learning and artificial intelligence that allows machines to imitate the ways how humans gain certain kinds of knowledge. In data science, this type is very important, as it includes statistics and predictions. In real-life, we use deep learning for automotive researchers to automatically detect objects such as stop signs and traffic lights. It is also used to detect pedestrians, which helps decrease accidents.

Wheelson; car with autonomous car with object recognition and image processing

Just like humans and their skills, we can separate AI by their types which goes from simple to most advanced levels of functioning. These types are:

• Reactive Machines
• Limited Memory
• Theory of Mind
• Self -Awareness

If you ever played computer chess, you were likely beaten by a computer at some point. Why is that? Because chess-playing supercomputer is reactive and knows each of the moves of identified pieces. Just like computer chess, the simplest AI systems are reactive. Reactive machines react to inputs (information) with some outputs (results).

Unlike reactive machines, systems with limited memory can look at the recent past to make better instant decisions. These systems store previous data to predict better in the future. Think of self-driving cars that use sensors to identify traffic signals as an example.

Theory of mind is AI's system's ability to attribute a mental state where it understands that people have feelings, thoughts, and expectations of how they want to be treated. A smart car needs to make reliable predictions about human behavior in real-time, such as pre-emptively adjusting speed and course to cope with a child's possible decision to cross the road in front of them abruptly.

Bot; a robot that simulates human behaviors

This theory is where things got quite tricky in our world, as this theory made many imaginative minds suspect that robots, aka machines, could rule the world instead of humans. However, as humans' behaviors are unpredictable, for the same reason, machines can not predict everything, and because of that, they can not become super intelligent.

Self-aware machines can form a representation of themselves as they act as the advancement of the Theory of Mind. These AI machines can desire, think, and understand their feelings. Thankfully, as mentioned previously, at the moment, these machines do not exist in real life and exist only in comic books and movies. (Watch: Blade Runner, Ron's Gone Wrong, I Robot)

Now when you have learned more about AI, here are some of the

Examples of AI

• Self-driving cars
• Robo-advisors
• Siri, Alexa, and other smart assistants
• Netflix's recommendations
• Conversational bots

Batmobile stem toy; AI-powered robot car

Nowadays, AI can be found everywhere around us. It serves as a form of entertainment, but it also provides countless utilities that we have become dependent on.

Whatever the future brings with new AI machines, from new robot "friends" to household gadgets that help you in your daily chores, our DIY science kits for kids teach the fun part of each hi-tech component. Our STEM boxes are a great peek into the future, and to start learning more about electronics, especially computer science, so be sure to check all our DIY projects.

That being said, recognizing a good science kit is actually not that hard. Ultimately, the best STEM kits are the ones that meet the following three requirements.

1. Science kit should contain the best quality equipment

 Imagine getting an educational science kit for your kid, only to realize that some of the included components are easily breakable, non-durable, and of poor quality. 

Unfortunately, some manufacturers think they don’t need to ensure the best quality of the components because the product is intended for STEM beginners or kids. 

What you should always do before purchasing a kit is pay attention to the quality of the equipment. You can do this by checking the product reviews or contacting the producer. 

Simply try to make sure that the components contained in the kit are genuine and not low-quality versions of the elements that are used for actual scientific purposes.

2. Science kit should contain relevant learning materials

While the main point of a science kit is its hands-on experience, it is also essential to understand the theoretical concepts and facts regarding the activity you’re performing.

E.g., if you’re building an AI-powered DIY robot car, it would be beneficial to get some offline or online learning materials that will help you understand how this technology works.

Ensure that the kit you’re about to purchase provides you with more than just a cool experience without any scientific context. 

 3. Science kit should contain fun & simple instructions

It is crucial for any child or adult facing their first STEM project to have very engaging and easy-to-follow instructions. A poor build guide that lacks images or doesn’t explain all the steps adequately could ultimately discourage any beginner. It may even demotivate them from continuing their journey through the world of DIY.

One of the most important things you should check when choosing your kit is if it contains straightforward instructions. Make sure that those guidelines include lots of pictures, information about every component contained in the kit, and clear explanations of all the functions you need to perform throughout your build. 

If you’re getting this kit for your kid, you might also check whether the design, colors, and the form of the instructions are something that would keep them engaged and interested.  

Requirements for a fun activity

So to recap, a proper science kit that will provide you with the best learning experience is one that has quality components, suitable learning materials, and easy-to-follow build instructions. 

All things considered, if the science kit you’re checking out ticks all the mentioned boxes, we guarantee you that both you and your kid are in for a great learning experience.

due to very popular demand and fantastic support from you folks, I've decided to start a series of behind-the-scenes vlogs that will show you a bit more about CircuitMess Batmobile, our creative process, and our crew 🎥🎬

Please tell me what you think and what you'd like to see next.

Oh, and stay tuned, we're going to have some kind of a special deal tomorrow (pssst, it's a secret 😉).

Thank you, and keep making

- Albert

Did you know that all of our sets are designed, developed, and manufactured right here in our office in Zagreb? 

We have a lot of cool machines here, and I've made a short video to show you around and tell a bit more about how our whole process works.

You'll see where we handle everything from research and development, finance, administration, sales, marketing to processing and packing orders. Everything is done right here in our HQ. 

We've actually moved to this office in Zagreb, Croatia, from Karlovac, Croatia, in 2020. So, in one of my next updates, I'll tell you a little bit more about our old office and how the company started in 2017 after our first Kickstarter campaign. 

If you think this office is a mess, wait till I tell you about our old office in Karlovac.  :) 

What's your favorite part of our office? 

-Albert

There is still a number of backers whose credit cards were not successfully charged by Kickstarter. 

If your payment didn't go through, please fix it by the end of the day.

If you don't fix your payment method on time, Kickstarter will automatically cancel your pledge and you, unfortunately, won't be able to get your STEM Box :(

please follow this tutorial:

https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005133293-A-project-I-m-backing-just-succeeded-and-my-pledge-was-declined-What-do-I-do-

If you don't manage to fix your payment this way, please reach out to Kickstarter's support here:

https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000499033-Backer-questions

If you need any further help in fixing your payment, don't be shy and reach out to me directly!

Thanks and stay tuned!

- Albert

Our Kickstarter campaign wrapped up with 2001 backers and $84,000 more than our previous one which is beyond our wildest dreams.

Our story doesn’t end here, though.

Thanks to your support, now the real work begins!

We are already working hard on finishing Spencer’s design and getting him into production, and into your homes and schools in November.

I will frequently  update you guys about our progress so expect more Kickstarter updates along the way.
I also really value your opinions and suggestions, so please keep them coming!

This project was made possible thanks to you and we will do our best to deliver the coolest STEM kits to you.

Thank you!

Here is a short video of me playing with Jay-D. Fasten your seat-belts for super-awesome STEM kits! :)

PS, if you missed the chance to get your STEM Box in this campaign, you can still get it on Indiegogo InDemand (for a slightly higher price because we wanted to give our first supporters on Kickstarter the best price ever)

Oh, and our 20% cashback through Kickbooster is also active for Indiegogo, so if you wish, you can share it:
https://circuitmess-stem-box.kickbooster.me/boost

I've been asked to show a bit more of Jay-D in action so we've shot this short video of Erik jamming with a prototype of Jay-D. 

- Albert and the crew

I hope everyone is well during these uncertain times!

We’d like to keep our promise of delivering MAKERphones to all of our backers, but a tiny portion of our backers still didn’t receive their phones because they’ve never responded to our surveys or emails and we do not have their shipping addresses.

If you haven’t received your MAKERphone(s), let us know on contact@circuitmess.com.

Stay well,

Albert & the team

We have a couple of exciting news and we need your help to make something happen. :D

Soon we'll be moving into our new office in Zagreb (the capital of Croatia) which would mean a lot more possibilities for cooperation with other young and promising investors, which we hope, will ultimately lead to new exciting products.

Of course, we don't want to forget about our old products either, since we'll still be upgrading the software of MAKERphone and keep making the whole experience as exciting as it can be.

For the decoration of our new office, however, we are going to need your photos! Since MAKERphone has been shipped across SIX CONTINENTS (still waiting on that Antarctica order!), we are very happy with the global success of our campaign. That also means that a lot of you are from some very exciting cities and areas with beautiful landmarks and sceneries. 

What's your mission? Take a photo of yourself holding a MAKERphone (and/or a MAKERbuino if you own it) on an iconic place in your city. Anything can be in the background - a monument, a beautiful view, or maybe something specific in your city that you think would look good on the photo! We're giving extra points for creativity and the amount of 'happy' your face is showing!

What you're getting? Other than being exposed in our new office, we're also giving away FREE MERCH! The best of the best will get a complete package of our super cool merch - T-SHIRTS, STICKERS (YAY!), AN ECO-FRIENDLY BAG and some other very cool stuff!

We're very thankful for this whole campaign and hope to collect as many of your photos as possible so we can really and fully enjoy our new office space.

For everyone who wants to participate, please send your photos to contact@circuitmess.com.

Thanks in advance everyone, you are the best!

Albert & the team

Some of you were also supposed to receive custom casings. Unfortunately, due to some logistical and practical reasons (the casing is just not big enough to customize it!), we could not have made the custom casings as we initially thought.

For you who should’ve gotten those, we’ve added one additional casing in a different color, so you have more than one look to rock on your super-cool new phone!

We hope everyone is happy with the final product and that you will enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed during the whole process of making it happen.

Cheers and catch you again soon,

Albert & the team

Some of you already received your phones or tracking numbers and I want to thank you for assembling your phones immediately and sending us exciting feedback about our device! :)

We plan to ship all of your phones by the end of October and currently, around 40% of the orders were fulfilled.

We're packing your phones as fast as we can, but we can pack and send a maximum of 300 packages per day and there's over 2500 MAKERphones ordered.

If you did not receive your tracking number yet, don't worry! You'll receive it in the following weeks.

We're monitoring all the tracking numbers and will give you a buzz if something goes wrong with your delivery.

Thank you for your patience! 

Stay cool,

Albert & the team

Since we’ve moved the shipment date, we decided to offer everyone one last chance to upgrade to 4G.

We ordered extra 4G network modules so send us a private message if you missed the last deadline.

Why would I need the upgrade?

There are mainly two reasons you might want a MAKERphone 4G:

1) Your carrier might phase out 2G in the near future or your carrier doesn’t support 2G at all. 

2G will remain available in most countries at least by early 2021 (and by 2025 in Europe). 2G was already shut down in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.

2) You want the phone to use advanced cellular data connectivity (so, WiFi is not enough).

Let us know and we’ll make it work!

Thank you,

Albert & the team

MAKERphone 4G just became an option in the rewards section. 

When we sought out to build MAKERphone, we wanted to demystify mobile phones and create an affordable educational device. 

After the great success (thank you all) - one of the most common requests was - will there be a 4G/LTE version of MAKERphone? 

So we put our minds and hands together and as of today - we’re offering MAKERphone 4G for all our packs (like BFF, PartyAnimal, Educational pack etc…) 

Why would you want a 4G version of MAKERphone?

There are mainly two reasons you might want a MAKERphone 4G:

1) Your carrier might phase out 2G in the near future or your carrier doesn’t support 2G at all.

2G will remain available in most countries at least by early 2021 (and by 2025 in Europe). 2G was already shut down in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore.

2) You want the phone to use advanced cellular data connectivity (so, WiFi is not enough).

If you plan just on assembling the MAKERphone, using it for phone calls, text messages, playing music and connecting it to WiFi - you can probably just stick with the standard MAKERphone.

If not - you can just go ahead and adjust your perk!

How is the MAKERphone 4G different?

MAKERphone 4G is a version of MAKERphone with a 4G chipset (SIM7600) instead of a 2G GSM chipset (SIM800) that’s included on the standard MAKERphone.  

4G chipsets are still much more expensive than regular 2G chipsets.  

The other aspects of MAKERphone will work similarly on both models.

Thanks again for your support. We’re passing our stretch goals with the speed of light so expect a new update with a poll for a unique game of your choice and a new stretch goal announcement soon!

Keep making!  
- Albert and the MAKERphone gang

we owe you all a big apology. We've focused 100% of our time on production for the past two weeks and were having some problems with production, sourcing, factory space and most importantly - we’ve had a hard time estimating the delivery date before even launching our campaign and knowing the amount of rewards we’ll have to send. 

Basically, every problem you can imagine - we’ve had it in the past two months :)  

In the end, our twice prolonged estimated delivery date prolonged once more and our communication with the MAKERbuino community was horrific and we’re sorry.  

This is our first production effort ever, so we’re still learning how to do this.    

About my private life: I've dropped out of college to fully dedicate my time to the company and was going through a hard time because of family issues. This is my passion in life and I want to give it 100% commitment and focus my efforts on making MAKERbuino and CircuitMess the best they can ever be. 

Long story short: - 95% of the rewards were shipped and the rest is being assembled at the moment and will be shipped this Monday. You’ll receive the tracking numbers this Monday or Tuesday. 

- Please monitor your tracking number and report if you don’t receive your kit 12 days after its dispatch date, about 1% of the packages got lost in transit and we will resend those packages. 

- We’ve changed the content of some kit versions:
1) MAKERbuino kit with tools: we’ve dropped the desoldering pump and replaced it with diagonal cutter pliers because we’ve found them more useful in the soldering process than the desoldering pump
2) MAKERbuino inventor’s kit: we didn’t have enough time to test and source a suitable accelerometer/gyroscope module that we promised on the Kickstarter listing so we’ve decided to compensate that with increasing the amount of other components.
3) Educational packs were sent without the workshop organizer cheat sheet and a workshop plan. We will send that material in a digital form by the end of August via email. We’ve tried to compensate for the delay by adding extra handstraps, button caps and small soldering badges we’ve designed to the educational packs.
4) We’ve dropped the colored casings in Party and educational packs because we haven’t managed to organize the production of the casings (and I think they don’t really look as pretty as the crystal clear casings). We’ve tried to compensate for that by increasing the amount of crystal clear casings included in the packs. 

- The GPIO expander board is missing from roughly 100 inventor’s kits due to a manufacturing mistake. Please watch out for that one and report if you haven’t gotten the board. We will send you the missing component straight away. 

- We know our communication with the community was bad and we’re working to improve that. We’ve set up the new support page with a ticketing system and I’ve hired new people that will be dedicated to supporting the community. 

- We are listening to your feedback and are improving the build guide and adding new guides. 

- There is no programming guide or a guide for what to do with the inventor’s pack. I ask for your patience, we need more time to finish those. 

- Anybody who wants a refund and hasn’t gotten one, please ping me 

- We are moving our company to a larger workspace and are working really hard to scale the production and avoid delays like this one. 

We won’t abandon you after we ship all the kits and will continue supporting the MAKERbuino and developing new guides, software & hardware tutorials, and expansions (otherwise we’ll go bankrupt and I will be very very hungry :) ) 

Thank you for your support, understanding, and patience. 

Keep making! Albert Gajšak and the rest of the CircuitMess gang