Candy Claw Machine Arcade Maker Lab

Make a Robotic Arm with Something Really Worth Grabbing

Do you have what it takes to grab a claw-full of candy with the Candy Claw Machine? Develop your motor skills and engineering chops to conquer this awesome STEM challenge.

Build a working model of the classic claw machine — that enticing, sometimes frustrating, and always fun arcade game in which you try to grab prizes from inside the machine with a remote-controlled claw in a limited amount of time. Cranks, gears, and belts move the claw arm left and right, and forward and back. Hydraulic levers move the arm up and down, and open and close the claw. A spring-loaded trap door shoots the collected candy out at you if you manage to succeed.

No batteries or electricity are required — it uses only the power of your hand and the mechanical advantage of the machines built into the device. Includes 113 pieces with 3 different claws and a 16-page manual. For ages 6+.

Choose from three different claw shapes (cool nerdy roboticists call these “end effectors”) and find the one that works best to pick up a particular candy or prize. Learn how the gears, levers, belt, screws, hydraulics, linkages, cranks, and claws all work together to pick up, move, and drop prizes. Experiment with different gear ratios to speed up or power up your claw.