Pilot Robot Kit
Grades 3-5The kit students build in grades 3 to 5, then program.
- Pieces
- about 150 pieces
- Build time
- one to three class periods
- Battery life
- 4 to 5 hours
- Sensor
- Ultrasonic sensor
Robotics for grades 3 to 5
Taking Off with Pilot
Taking Off with Pilot is the True Robotics program for grades 3, 4 and 5. Students build the Pilot Robot Kit from about 150 pieces with real-world tools. Then they program it in True Robotics Playground, with no student logins to manage.
What the curriculum covers
Five strands run through every track. Grades 3, 4 and 5 each have their own, and a General track drops the grade-level prior knowledge for mixed-grade groups such as after-school clubs.
- Build the Pilot Robot Kit. About 150 pieces assembled with real tools in one to three class periods.
- Math the robot needs. Fractions and measuring with a ruler so students can measure distances accurately.
- Programming and sensors. Programming challenges, the ultrasonic sensor, obstacle courses and races.
- Science with the robot. Speed and energy, balanced and unbalanced forces, reviewed with the robot in hand.
- Engineering design process. Every grade version includes an engineering design lesson before the challenges.
Taking Off with Pilot at a glance
Two to three students share one Pilot Robot Kit. The build comes first, then the sensors, the challenges and the races.
Grades, lessons and robot for Taking Off with Pilot
| Grades | 3-5. Curriculum versions: Grade 3, 4, 5 and General |
|---|---|
| Lessons | 25 lessons per grade curriculum |
| Lesson length | About 45 to 60 minutes, with a lot of flexibility |
| Robot | Pilot Robot Kit: about 150 pieces, built by the students with real-world tools |
A unit that builds from day 1 to day 25
Where Paving the Way with Treads is a flexible classroom tool, Taking Off with Pilot is a unit of learning. It starts on day 1 and builds all the way to day 25, with math and science woven in.
- Why robotics. Students learn what robotics is, what the Pilot Robot Kit is, and why they are learning all of this.
- The build. Students get right into building the robot, which typically takes one to three class periods.
- The robot becomes a tool. After the build, the robot becomes a tool for a whole bunch of other learning.
- Math review. Students review fractions, because they will measure with a ruler and need halves and fourths for accurate measurements.
- Programming and sensors. Students work through programming challenges, learn to program the sensors on the robot, and do obstacle courses and races.
- Science review. The robot is used to review science concepts such as speed and energy, and balanced and unbalanced forces.
“It really is a comprehensive STEM experience rather than just looking at the technology piece.”
Emily Hajko, Director of Education
The four tracks, day by day
Each track is its own 25-day unit. The General curriculum runs in its own column beside the three grade columns, and every teacher gets the map as a PDF and a Word document in the Teacher Digital Portal.
- Same start, same build: every track opens with Introduction to Robotics and Introduction to Pilot, then builds the kit on days 3 and 4.
- Programming starts at different points: day 8 in grade 3, day 9 in grade 5, and day 10 in grade 4 and the General track.
- Grade-level math: fractions and ruler measurement in grade 3, area and perimeter in grade 4, volume in grade 5.
Standards. Math and science run through the unit itself, taught with the robot rather than beside it. See how Pilot lines up with standards
Show the full curriculum mapHide the full curriculum map
Taking Off with Pilot Full Curriculum MapDays 1 to 21 as shown in the 2026 map. Days 22 to 25 continue the unit and are listed in the Teacher Digital Portal.
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Day | General Curriculum | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Robotics | 3rd Grade Introduction to Robotics | 4th Grade Introduction to Robotics | 5th Grade Introduction to Robotics |
| 2 | Introduction to Pilot | 3rd Grade Introduction to Pilot | 4th Grade Introduction to Pilot | 5th Grade Introduction to Pilot |
| 3-4 | Pilot Robot Kit Building | Pilot Robot Kit Building | Pilot Robot Kit Building | Pilot Robot Kit Building |
| 5 | Measuring with a Ruler | Fractions Basics | Mixed Numbers & Improper Fractions When Measuring with a Ruler | Converting Measurements Within a System |
| 6 | Bluetooth Signals | Measuring with a Ruler to the half and quarter inch | Factors and Multiples | 5th Grade Engineering Design Process |
| 7 | Engineering Design Process | Engineering Design Process | 4th Grade Engineering Design Process | 5th Grade Engineering Design Process |
| 8 | Electrical Circuits | Programming Explorations | 4th Grade Engineering Design Process | Material Properties |
| 9 | Material Properties | Programming Explorations Challenges | Area and Perimeter of Rectangles | Programming Applications |
| 10 | Introduction to Programming | Programming Explorations Challenges | Programming Basics | Application Challenges |
| 11 | Movement Programming Challenges | Debugging Code | Basic Programming Challenges | Application Challenges |
| 12 | Movement Programming Challenges | Algorithms | Basic Programming Challenges | Debugging Code |
| 13 | Debugging Code | Balanced and Unbalanced Forces | Speed and Energy | Discovering Volume |
| 14 | Speed and Energy | Balanced and Unbalanced Forces | Speed and Energy | Converting Measurements and Volume Escape Room |
| 15 | Speed and Energy | 3rd Grade Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge | 4th Grade Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge | 5th Grade Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge |
| 16 | Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge | 3rd Grade Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge | 4th Grade Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge | 5th Grade Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge |
| 17 | Pilot Obstacle Course Challenge | Sensors and Robots | Introduction to the Ultrasonic Sensor | Understanding the Ultrasonic Sensor |
| 18 | Introduction to the Ultrasonic Sensor | Ultrasonic Sensor Programming I | Ultrasonic Sensor Programming II | Ultrasonic Sensor Programming III |
| 19 | Ultrasonic Sensor Programming | Ultrasonic Sensor Applications I | Ultrasonic Sensor Applications II | Ultrasonic Sensor Challenges III |
| 20 | Ultrasonic Sensor Challenges | Ultrasonic Sensor Applications I | Ultrasonic Sensor Applications II | Ultrasonic Sensor Challenges III |
| 21 | Ultrasonic Sensor Challenges | Technology: Past, Present, Future | 4th Grade Pilot Science Race | 5th Grade Pilot Science Race |
What students learn to code
Students code Pilot in True Robotics Playground at app.truerobotics.org, where they pick the Pilot Robot tile. It is still drag-and-drop, block-based coding, but the blocks have a little bit more of a text basis, not so much icons anymore.
- Five block categories: Drive, Events, Inputs, Conditionals, Loops
- Programming the ultrasonic sensor and the game controller
- No student usernames or passwords, and no student data collected
The software connects to the robot with Bluetooth, so students upload their programs and run them right on the robot. The connection menu also offers USB.
Runs on the devices your school already has.
- Windows
- Mac
- Chromebook
- iPad
- Android tablet
Fitting Pilot to your calendar
Fewer than 25 days
If a school doesn't have 25 full days to dedicate to Taking Off with Pilot, we work with the school to make a customized scope and sequence that will make sense.
Sharing one set of Pilot kits
- Keep builders together. During the build, the same group of kids should use the same robot for a couple of days so that they can get through that entire build process. Once the robots are built, they can be used anywhere in the school.
- Stagger the units. The Pilot Robot Kit follows the same exact kind of sequencing for grades 3-5, so fifth grade could use the robots first, and so on down the grades.
FlexForge on Pilot
FlexForge adds about 15 days onto the unit. We work with the school's goals to mesh it all together into a cohesive unit. It does not have to be taught after the regular curriculum.
FlexForge is add-on pieces that the kids can build with on those base robots and really engage in the engineering design process. The Pilot folder in the Teacher Digital Portal includes a FlexForge Pilot Curriculum, and the software has its own FlexForge Kit tile.
- A whole set of gray build pieces, plus extra motors and gears, that mount on the Pilot Robot Kit
- A 15-day curriculum extension built around five engineering challenges, such as a delivery claw or a snowplow
- Prototype, test and iterate through the whole engineering design process
How Pilot runs at your school
Four steps from the quote to the first build.
Plan your implementationAsk for a quote
Tell us your grades and your class sizes, and we quote what your school actually needs.
The kits arrive
In pieces, with all required tools, batteries and chargers in the box. Nothing else to buy.
A 30 minute session
Every teacher gets one, held virtually. We set up your login and tour the portal with you.
You build, then they build
Build one kit yourself first, with the follow-along videos in the Learning Portal. Students build theirs on days 3 and 4.
- What your school provides
- One device for students to code on. We supply everything else.
- How many robots you need
- Two to three students share one kit, so a class of 24 needs about 8 to 12.
Training that comes with Pilot
Everything below is in your package except the last row.
See how we train teachersWhat you get, when it happens and what it covers
| What you get | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Portal | Self-paced | An online course with chapters, videos and quizzes, including one on building Pilot. |
| A 30 minute intro session | First step | One on one and held virtually. We set up your login and tour the portal. |
| Your own contact | Any time | A person at True Robotics who knows your school, not a support line. |
| One-on-one training | one to two hours | Held virtually and included. Many teachers spend it building the robot with us. |
| In-person sessions | Optional | A school can add these at additional cost. The virtual sessions stay in the package. |
What Pilot costs
$399per robot
Curriculum licensing and professional development are priced separately and bundled into Classroom Packages at a discount. Prices subject to change.
An example: one class of 24
- Students in the class
- 24
- Students sharing one Pilot Robot Kit
- 2 to 3 students
- Robots that class needs
- 8 to 12 robots
- Robots at $399 each
- $3,192 to $4,788
An example, not a quote. It covers the robots only. Curriculum licensing and teacher training are quoted on top and bundled into a Classroom Package at a discount, and we size the set with you before you order.
What a first-year Classroom Package includes
A classroom set of the robots, the curriculum materials, the Learning Portal and the full one-on-one training package. See what a Classroom Package includes
Title I, II and IV funds and grants commonly pay for a Classroom Package. How schools fund a robotics program
Questions about Taking Off with Pilot
Why does third grade appear in both Treads and Pilot?
On purpose. Depending on the school and the students' prior experience, some third graders have never done robotics. Treads suits them, especially new third graders in the first semester, because its coding environment is simpler and easier to pick up. Other third graders are mechanically inclined, have done robotics before, or are ready for more. That is why there is also a third grade Pilot curriculum. Pilot is a kit that students put together, which suits children who thrive on hands-on learning, and the coding levels up a little. For a full K-8 pipeline, keep Treads for K, 1 and 2, then move third graders up to Pilot, because they will already have had Treads for three years.
How does a Pilot unit flow?
Pilot is a unit that builds from day 1 to day 25. Students start with what robotics is, what the Pilot robot is, and why they are learning all this. Then they build the robot, which usually takes one to three class periods. After that, the robot becomes a tool for a lot of other learning: a math review such as fractions, because measuring with a ruler needs halves and fourths; programming challenges, including programming the robot's sensors; obstacle courses and races; and science reviews such as speed and energy, and balanced and unbalanced forces. It is a comprehensive STEM experience rather than just the technology piece.
How does the coding change from Treads to Pilot and Axle?
Treads coding is very simple and icon-based. Students drag and drop blocks and connect them so the robot follows patterns: creating a square, driving across the classroom, driving around the desks. With Pilot and Axle, the coding levels up. It is still drag-and-drop, block-based coding, but the blocks use more text and fewer icons. Students learn to sequence blocks for different challenges, use conditionals and loops, program the ultrasonic and light sensors, and program the game controller. The whole progression is our scaffolded drag-and-drop software.
How much does it cost?
Robots are priced per unit: the Treads Robot is $200 per robot, the Pilot Robot Kit is $399 per robot, and the Axle Robot Kit is $650 per robot. FlexForge add-on kits are $149 for Basic and $349 for Enhanced. A first-year Classroom Package includes a classroom set of robots, curriculum licensing for the lesson plans, PowerPoints and worksheets, access to the Learning Portal with all of its asynchronous videos, and the full one-on-one training package. The total depends on how many students and teachers are involved, so we quote each school individually.
Bring Pilot to your grades 3 to 5 classrooms
Tell us your grades, your days and your goals. We put together a Classroom Package with Pilot Robot Kits, curriculum licensing and one-on-one teacher training.
