Lego Mindstorms can be a great way to start. But it can be limiting. It comes with only 2 motors. It can control only 3 motors and have 3 sensors. The programming environment can be limiting too, but there are other options on the web to help.
If you think your friend would be interested in something a little more complex, I can point you to some other resources...
There are some robot kits on the market. A pretty good one is:
SumoBot Robot ~$150
Or you could get a platform and controller board seperately: Tracked Motorized Platform ~$60 Controllers The OOPIC II Starter package ~$70 is a decient starter
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It has been found that most RC vehicles run too fast for most hobby robot applications.
Lego Mindstorms can be a great way to start. But it can be limiting. It comes with only 2 motors. It can control only 3 motors and have 3 sensors. The programming environment can be limiting too, but there are other options on the web to help.
If you think your friend would be interested in something a little more complex, I can point you to some other resources...
There are some robot kits on the market. A pretty good one is: SumoBot Robot ~$150
Or you could get a platform and controller board seperately:
Tracked Motorized Platform ~$60
Controllers The OOPIC II Starter package ~$70 is a decient starter
A number of hobby clubs in Colorado like the Atmel Atmega Microcontrollers for building custom robot board such as the DARC Board.
The Portland Robot Group has a lot of great information for people starting out with hobby robotics.
My robot blog with lots of pictures.