Hi rOcKoN,
Hello from ArcBotics! We tried to make Sparki so that you didn’t have to upgrade it, by including everything already with it for free.
We do offer an expansion port on Sparki, which is fully Arduino-compatible. Arduino add-ons should work for Sparki as well, as we use standard pins (and which you can often get much cheaper than mBot’s connector-lockin parts):
arcbotics.com/products/sparki/parts/expansion-port/
Sparki was launched in 2013, and mBot was launched years after Sparki became popular. Sparki comes with a suite of 100+ full lessons developed with top educators spanning robotics, coding, and electronics. We break down exactly how Sparki works for each level of student. Sparki is pre-assembled out of the box, comes with 40+ sensors and programmable parts, full accessories like posters and pen for lesson activities, and includes lifetime access to any lesson and software upgrades we frequently make.
We are also an American family-owned business based in California, and we pride ourselves on our customer service. We reply quickly, and always fix and return anything that’s off, even if it is just to help you if you are stuck in a lesson. You will also get support from the team who designed the robot.
Contrast that with mBot where you have to assemble the bot yourself, has a fraction of the parts and sensors of Sparki, and reviews say that mBot has no real lessons, guides, support and has difficult assembly. When you are able to reach someone from this China-based company, it is difficult for them to understand your problems or help you on their non-existent curriculum. Robots like mbot robots can seem cheaper, but that’s because they hope to sell you add-ons in terms of hardware, lesson books, or freemium apps down the line. We specifically designed Sparki to avoid doing this - we include all accessories, software, and lessons for free.
Unlike mBot that is mostly used by Chinese schools, Sparki is used at over 2000 K-12 schools and some of the top universities and STEM programs like Stanford, MIT, Northwestern, FIRST, and Girls Who Code.
Obviously we are biased, and encourage you to decide for yourself by checking out reviews of our robots, Youtube videos featuring student and adult projects with Sparki, and talking to friends or teachers already using it. And if you have other questions we have not answered here, contact us anytime at [email protected].
