One Robot, 200+ Configurations: Why HP Otto Is a Robotics Platform, Not a One-Time Kit
HP Otto is designed to go further - as many times as students can redesign it, expand it, and push their code to outer limits.
HP Otto is built on an exciting premise: that a robotics platform should be physically redesignable, hardware-expandable, and programmable at every level from beginner block coding to Python. There's no moment where a student has "finished" Otto, because the robot is never finished.
The physical side of that flexibility is literal. Every Otto shell component — head, body, legs, feet — is 3D-printable and replaceable. Students can redesign the exterior, add custom attachments, or build entirely new mechanisms on top of the same electronics. Combined with four modular expansion kits that add new sensors, inputs, expressive displays, and locomotion modes, Otto supports more than 200 distinct configurations. On the coding side, a structured curriculum scales from icon-based visual coding through Scratch-style blocks and into Python and C++ via the Arduino IDE, all on the same platform, accessible via web browser or the HP Otto app on iOS and Android.
Where it starts: the HP Otto Starter Kit
HP Otto begins with the Starter Kit, designed for students ages 8 and up (with supervision and 14 and up without supervision). The Starter Kit ships with all of the components ready-to-assemble. Students build the robot by connecting sensors to a custom circuit board, wiring electronics, and fitting the components together using a printed manual and assembly videos. No soldering is required, but the build is substantive: students work with an ultrasonic distance sensor, infrared line-following sensors, servo motors, and 13 addressable RGB LEDs before they write their first line of code.
That assembly process matters pedagogically. When students understand what each component does and how it connects to the others, the coding instruction that follows lands differently. The robot is experienced as a system they've built, which means they already have a mental model for how everything fits together.
Once built, students use HP Otto's coding environment, which is accessible via web browser or through the HP Otto app on iOS and Android, to write programs ranging from icon-based visual coding for complete beginners through Scratch-style block coding, all the way up to Python and C++ via the Arduino IDE. A structured curriculum of core lessons carries students from "what is a robot?" to programming Otto to navigate autonomously, applying loops, conditionals, and variables along the way.
Importantly, the curriculum is designed to be used more than once. Lessons are modular — teachers can follow them in sequence or return to specific concepts as students develop. Students don't code Otto once and move on; the combination of iterative design challenges, expanding programming concepts, and the ability to physically change the robot means each return to the platform is a new challenge.
The expansion kits: one way HP Otto grows
The Starter Kit is the foundation. What makes HP Otto a platform, and what differentiates it from single-purpose robots, is what comes next.
Four expansion kits extend Otto's capabilities in meaningfully different directions, each with dedicated lessons so the curriculum scales alongside the hardware.
Emote: expression and sound
This expansion pack adds an OLED display, LED matrix, and MP3 player. Students program facial expressions, animations, and sound, which introduces them to expressive design and puts the "A" in STEAM.
Sense: environmental data
This expansion pack adds sensors for temperature, humidity, light intensity, sound, and motion. Students write code that responds to real-world inputs which provides them with a gateway to data literacy and "Internet of Things" (IoT) concepts.
Interact: physical input
This expansion pack adds buttons, a rotational knob, and an accelerometer. Students build robots that respond to touch and movement, opening up the world of game design and more interactive projects.
Invent: form and locomotion
This expansion pack transforms Otto's physical form entirely. It enables bipedal walking, wheeled movement, tracked off-road locomotion, and a robotic gripper arm. Now students can find themselves on the advanced engineering tier.
Each expansion works with Otto's core electronics, which remain consistent across the platform. A class can start with the Starter Kit, add Emote and Sense later in the year, and unlock Invent for advanced students when they're ready.
Combined, the Starter Kit and all four expansions unlock more than 200 robot configurations to create everything from a line-following autonomous vehicle to a walking bipedal robot with environmental sensors, a gripper arm, and an expressive LED face.
The 3D printing layer: where engineering meets creativity
Hardware modularity is one dimension of Otto's expandability. The other is physical design.
Every HP Otto shell component is 3D-printable. For classrooms with a 3D printer, this transforms Otto from a coding exercise into a full design and engineering project. Students use tools like TinkerCAD or Maker Empire to design custom components, then print and fit them onto Otto's electronics. The robot's internals stay the same; everything around them can be redesigned.
We maintain a public library of over 60 3D-printable models on Printables, and the HP Robots Remix Challenge, a public design contest hosted in early 2026, drew 163 original submissions from the community, including new character shells, functional upgrades, and entirely new mechanisms. That creative output demonstrates that when you give students a robot they can redesign, no two end up looking or behaving the same. The creative dimension that most robotics platforms don't offer becomes a genuine differentiator in the classroom.
What this means for school procurement
When schools evaluate robotics platforms, the total cost of ownership conversation matters as much as the upfront price. A kit that costs less but exhausts its learning potential in a semester isn't necessarily more affordable than a platform that supports a multi-year curriculum.
HP Otto is available as individual kits, classroom sets, and bundles — including a 4-in-1 bundle that combines the Starter Kit with all four expansion kits in a single purchase. The bundle approach provides a complete learning arc from first assembly to advanced autonomous behavior, without sourcing or sequencing additional tools.
MORAVIA Education supports US school purchases of HP Otto, including classroom sets and bundle configurations. Schools can contact MORAVIA Education to discuss options specific to their curriculum goals and budget. Reach out to sales@moravia-education.com to discuss.
How HP Otto compares to other classroom robotics options
The classroom robotics space includes well-known options: Our very own Dash robots, LEGO SPIKE Prime (which was recently discontinued), Makeblock mBot, Sphero BOLT, and VEX IQ, among others. Most offer solid curriculum resources and genuine learning value. The meaningful differentiator for HP Otto is the combination of three things no single competitor offers together:
- A build-from-components assembly process that teaches electronics before coding begins
- A modular expansion architecture with dedicated curriculum at every tier, supporting 200+ configurations
- A 3D-printable shell that extends the platform into physical design education
For schools looking for a robotics platform capable of supporting genuine multi-year progression, from a student's first circuit board to advanced autonomous behavior and physical design, HP Otto offers a learning arc that has the ability to outlast the school year.
Frequently asked questions
What is HP Otto? HP Otto is a buildable, programmable robotics platform for students ages 8 and up, designed for classroom and home use. Students assemble the robot from components, then code it using a web or mobile app that scales from visual block coding through Python. HP Otto is produced by MORAVIA Consulting and licensed by HP Inc. It is available in the US through MORAVIA Education.
What makes HP Otto a platform rather than a kit? HP Otto's core electronics are designed to accept four modular expansion kits: Emote, Sense, Interact, and Invent, each of which adds new hardware capabilities and comes with dedicated curriculum. Together, the Starter Kit and expansions support more than 200 robot configurations, allowing the platform to grow with students across multiple school years. The 3D-printable shell means the physical form of the robot can be redesigned repeatedly as well.
Is HP Otto suitable for students with no coding experience? Yes. HP Otto's curriculum starts with the fundamentals: what robots are, how their components work, before introducing coding through a visual, icon-based interface. Students can progress at their own pace through block-based coding and into Python, supported by structured lesson plans that require no prior robotics experience from the teacher.
Do you need a 3D printer to use HP Otto? No. The HP Otto Builder Kit includes all 3D-printed shell parts already produced. The Creator Kit (electronics only) is designed for schools with their own 3D printer who want students to design and print the shell themselves. The 3D printing capability is an extension of the platform, not a requirement.
How does HP Otto compare to LEGO SPIKE Prime or Sphero BOLT? LEGO SPIKE Prime (recently discontinued) and Sphero BOLT are strong classroom options with established curriculum resources. HP Otto's key differentiators are its build-from-components assembly process (which teaches electronics before coding begins), its modular expansion architecture with curriculum at every tier, and its 3D-printable shell that extends learning into physical design. For schools looking for a multi-year STEM platform rather than a single-semester introduction, HP Otto offers a deeper and more extensible learning arc.
Where can US schools purchase HP Otto? HP Otto is available for US schools right here on moravia-education.com or contact us to discuss additional classroom configurations.
HP Otto is produced by MORAVIA Consulting. MORAVIA Education is the US partner supporting school and district procurement across the United States. HP is a trademark of HP Development Company, L.P., used by MORAVIA Consulting spol. s r.o. under license from HP Inc.