Thousands & Thousands of Tiny Robots.

Introducing Cubelets

Cubelets are little robotic blocks that you can snap together to make bigger robots that drive around, do smart things, and act like they’re alive. With

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Considering Total Landed Cost

By: Modular Robotics

A requirement for ball bearings hit Supply Chain’s desk recently. Tens of thousands of them…of the 3/8″, nickel-plated, carbon steel variety.  There are literally hundreds of steel ball suppliers in the world, located in any region you like.  So where should we go to source this type of component?

It turns out that the best unit price in the world is in China at roughly half a cent per ball, certified lead- and contaminant-free.  Done and done.  Problem solved!  On to the next challenge.

But the deal didn’t feel right and I couldn’t quite place it.  Weeks went by, and then one morning it hit me.  Tens of thousands of steel balls are heavy, requiring an enormous amount of packaging material and fuel and people and time to transport them here.   After accounting for the logistics cost, the balls were closer to three cents each.  There must be a better way.

A little more searching turned up a couple large American distributors that bring over tens of millions of balls at a time, completely filling a shipping container and transporting them by sea and by rail more efficiently than we ever could.  As an added bonus, we caught one of the distributors during a free shipping promotion and ended the exercise with a landed cost at just over a penny, and it was a better solution.

In supporting our robot factory here in Boulder, there will always be components that we source overseas.  But it feels good to make a modest effort to source domestically whenever possible, and add to our growing list of US-based suppliers.

Support.

Frequently asked questions.

Cubelets FAQs is your place to find answers to common questions about Cubelets robot blocks, orders, and Modular Robotics.

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Shipping and tax policies.

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Warranty and returns.

Cubelets are backed by a one year warranty. Need to make a claim, get a replacement, or have questions? Click to get started.

Cubelets Resources.

Everything you need to teach with Cubelets robot blocks.

Explore a huge collection of K-12 lessons, activities, guides, training, and more.

New to Cubelets?

Learn everything you need to know to start creating more with Cubelets robot blocks in this handy Getting Started Guide.

Go further with Cubelets apps.

Go beyond the building blocks and play with the code inside. Cubelets apps make it easy to create even more with your Cubelets.

Looking for some inspiration?

There are millions of robots you can create with Cubelets. Check out these robots to help inspire your inventions.

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Education.

Cubelets robot blocks are used by educators all around the world to help students explore computational thinking, coding, and STEM. 

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At Home.

Bring home the educational teaching tool loved by teachers everywhere. Explore sets designed for learning through play.

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