Explodapede Robotic Centipede
The newest creature on the bench: it rolls into a room as a harmless ball, then bursts open into a glowing centipede on your command.
$29.97
HEX BOTS robot toys that climb walls, cross floors and clear rooms
We are HEX BOTS. We build robotic insects, lizards and creatures that move the way the real thing does — then we charge them, run them across our bench and write down what actually happened before any of them reach you.
Every bot on this page is live and in stock right now.
This week on the bench
Three bots that spent the week charged, run and logged in our workshop.
Glow-in-the-Dark Wall Crawler Gecko
The same climbing gecko with a body that drinks light all day and hands it back the moment you hit the switch.
$29.97
Nano Real Bugs 5-Pack
Five realistically printed bugs — cicada, cockroach, beetle and friends — built for one purpose, and it is not education.
$31.95
Choose your Hex Bot
The full range, with the price we can see on the listing today.
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Low stock
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Choose by category
Four shelves, from a pocket nano to a rechargeable creature with a remote in the box.
Pick by power, control and age
The short version of what separates one shelf from the next.
Bot
Control
Power
Floor
Ages
Skitter Bot Spider, GreenControlOne switch, runs itselfPower3 LR44 cells, includedFloorHard floors, not carpetAges4 to 6 and upSkitter Bot Spider, RedControlOne switch, runs itselfPower3 LR44 cells, includedFloorHard floors, not carpetAges4 to 6 and upSkitter Bot Scorpion, RedControlOne switch, runs itselfPower3 LR44 cells, includedFloorHard floors, not carpetAges4 to 6 and upNano 6-Pack with 2 Flashing NanosControlOne switch, runs itselfPowerCells fitted in every botFloorHard floors; best inside walls or a trackAges8 to 10 and upNano Real Bugs 5-PackControlOne switch, runs itselfPower2 LR44 cells, includedFloorHard floors and worktopsAges8 to 10 and upNano Land PlaysetControlNo drive — walls and spinnersPowerThree nano bots in the boxFloorNeeds a flat hard surface to build onAges4 to 6 and upNano On-The-Go LauncherControlButton launchPowerBonus Flash Nano in the boxFloorCarries any nano bot in the rangeAges4 to 6 and upRemote Control TarantulaControlRemote controlPowerUSB rechargeableFloorHard floors and low-pile rugsAges4 and upRemote Control Black WidowControlRemote controlPowerUSB rechargeableFloorAdjust the legs to the floor you are onAges4 and upExplodapede Robotic CentipedeControlRemote plus a self-run modePowerUSB charge, AAA in the remoteFloorHard floors; autonomous mode needs open spaceAges4 and upWall Crawler Gecko Remote Control ToyControlFull-function remote, 25 ftPowerUSB charge, 2 AAA in the remoteFloorBest on smooth paint, tile and glassAges4 and upGlow-in-the-Dark Wall Crawler GeckoControlFull-function remote, 25 ftPowerUSB charge, 2 AAA in the remoteFloorCharge the shell under a lamp before darkAges4 and up
Charged, run and logged on our bench.
Nothing leaves the bench until it has crossed a tiled floor, climbed a painted wall or emptied a cell on a worktop. What we learn in those runs is what you read on every card here.
Questions we get at the bench
What are Hex Bots?
Hex Bots are our robotic creature toys: autonomous nano bots that scurry on vibration alone, remote control wall crawlers that climb smooth walls, and rechargeable RC creatures like the tarantula, dragon and centipede. All of them are made to move like the animal they copy.
What age is suitable for Hex Bots toys?
Most of the range is marked from 4 and up; the nano multi-packs and the dragon are rated 8 to 10 and up because of the smaller parts. The age on each listing is the one we go by, and it is repeated on every product page here.
Which surfaces can my Hex Bot climb on?
Wall crawlers hold on smooth painted walls, sealed tile, glass, mirrors and fridge doors. Textured wallpaper, raw brick, unsealed wood and anything dusty will break the seal. Wiping the surface first makes more difference than most people expect.
Can Hex Bots run on carpets?
The nano bots cannot — carpet pile swallows the vibration drive completely. The larger RC creatures cross low-pile rugs fine, but hard floors are where every bot in the range does its best work.
Do Hex Bots come with batteries?
The nano bots and skitter bots ship with their LR44 button cells fitted. The rechargeable creatures and wall crawlers include lithium cells and a USB cable. Remotes usually need 2 AAA cells, and those are the ones you will have to supply.
What should I do if my Hex Bot stops moving?
Start with the cell: a nano that slows down is almost always a flat LR44, and a rechargeable creature wants a full USB charge rather than a top-up. After that, check the legs for hair and carpet fluff around the joints, and give a wall crawler's belly a wipe with a damp cloth.
What makes Hex Bots different from other robotic toys?
The movement. Nothing in the range drives on wheels or needs an app — the legs, the suction and the vibration do the work, so the bot behaves like a creature instead of a vehicle. That is also why they survive being chased around a kitchen.
Is this a good gift for someone new to robotics?
A nano multi-pack or a skitter bot is the easiest start: switch it on and it runs, with nothing to set up. From there a wall crawler adds a remote and a reason to learn which surfaces work, which is the first real experiment most people run with these.
Ready to let one loose?
Pick a bot, check the live price on the listing, and give it a floor.
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Why our bots and not another robot toy
Built to climb, not to roll
Wheels are easy. We put the work into suction bellies and bent legs, because the moment a toy leaves the floor or walks like an insect, the room changes. Climbing is the difference between a gadget and a creature.
No screens in the box
Nothing here pairs with a phone. A remote or a switch, a charged cell and a floor is the whole setup — which is why these end up in play long after a tablet game has been forgotten.
Experimenting is the play pattern
Which surface holds the gecko? How many nanos fit in one loop before they jam? Kids answer those by running the test themselves, and that is real STEM thinking wearing a creepy costume.
What came back from other floors
Six notes left on the listings of bots that are on the shelves right now.
Operates like Tyrone Biggums hit the floor score of the century..
It is super jumpy and spazzy. My bengal was absolutely terrified of it l!!
Skitter Bot Spider, GreenGreat Gift
My grandkids love these! They build tracks for them and mazes. Great Halloween or birthday gift.
Skitter Bot Spider, RedGood toy
Fun little toy for my spider-loving toddler! He loves that the legs move.
Skitter Bot Scorpion, RedGreat for pets
Cats love em, though they love to wander under doorways. Great battery life and can't go wrong with these guys, especially if you have pets.
Nano 6-Pack with 2 Flashing NanosWe love these bugs
Great for all ages . The kids love them and giggle when they are playing with them
Nano Real Bugs 5-PackFun, silly toy!
These are so fun! So much laughter cuter. Can wait to play racing games in my 55+ community!
Nano Land PlaysetHex Bots robot toys, from a pocket nano to a wall-climbing gecko
Our range splits into four shelves, and the quickest way to choose between them is to decide how much control you want over where the bot goes. Nano bots give you none: they run on vibration, hunt the corners of a hard floor on their own, and cost less than a cinema ticket. Remote control wall crawlers give you all of it — a full-function remote drives a gecko up a smooth wall and across a ceiling line out to about 25 ft, which is still the single most asked-about thing we build.
Between those two sit the robotic creatures. These are the rechargeable ones: a tarantula with a large motor and a glowing body, a black widow with legs you can set high or low, a bearded dragon that roars and breathes LED fire, and the Explodapede centipede that rolls in as a ball before it bursts open and slithers away. Lithium cells and a USB cable come in each box, and one IR remote can hold several creatures at once so two people can drive at the same time.
Nano playsets are the part people buy second. Once there are more than a couple of nano bots in a house the question becomes where they should go, and over 40 connectable pieces with a pair of merry-go-rounds turns a loose swarm into a race with walls. The On-The-Go Launcher does the travelling version of the same job: six bots in a hard case, a lid that folds into a ramp and a button that puts a flashing nano on a kitchen table anywhere in the world.
Whichever shelf you start on, the setup is the same and there is no screen in it. Charge the cell or flip the switch, pick a hard surface, and let the thing move. The instructions in each box take about a minute, the sizes run from a thumbnail to a spread hand, and the fun lasts as long as somebody in the house has not yet seen it climb.
What these robot toys are, and what they are not
These are robot toys for kids in the plainest sense: a motor, a set of legs and a switch. Not one of them is a robot kit. There is no coding, no STEM worksheet, no app and no learning curve, and nothing here is educational in the robot-kit sense — if you came looking for a build-your-own robot kit, this bench is the wrong shelf, and we would rather say so than talk you into the wrong box.
What a bot off this rack delivers is the first thirty seconds: a child flicks the switch and something scurries across the floor. Nothing is added to that experience by a curriculum. Parents call them impulse toys and they are right; the ones that stay in play longest are the rechargeable creatures, because a kid can practise the actions rather than just watch them.
Ages on the boxes start at four years and run to eight and better. Note that those years are the maker’s call, not ours — we log what the box says and leave it there. For the six-to-ten range the remote shelves hold up better than the nano swarm, and for younger hands a playset keeps children engaged without a battery door being opened at all. Making a track is the part most kids repeat.