We've been raving about the cool robot-making workshops for kids at Brooklyn Robot Foundry ever since we discovered the program at Maker Faire in 2011. Apparently we're not alone: Its original Gowanus storefront has been such a hit with families, the owner, mechanical engineer and local mom, Jenny Young, decided to open a second location in Tribeca. Just like the Brooklyn outpost, the Manhattan studio offers hands-on sessions where kids learn how to build one-of-a-kind mechanical creations out of wires, circuits and everyday items like boxes, brushes and tin cans—not a prefab Lego Mindstorms or WeDo kit in sight.
Last weekend, my 10-year-old son (a robot-making novice) and I went to check out the brand-new Brooklyn Robot Foundry Tribeca, located in a refurbished industrial space on Canal Street just a block from Hudson River Park. As we approached, he asked, "If I make a robot to take over the world, do you think it'll turn on me?" Clearly he was very excited about our visit. I'm happy to report that, while his custom-made creation can't dominate mankind, it's still pretty awesome (and useful, too).