The Sphero Bolt is a new robotic ball with programmable lights
- sep
- 10
A well-rounded device.
The new Sphero Bolt is an app-enabled robotic ball you can control with your phone. It even has an 8 x 8 pixel display you can program with custom LEDs. That might not seem like much but you can use it to distinguish different Bolt balls from each other and play games. The Bolt has an array of sensors more advanced than previous generations like the SPRK+ which can track speed, acceleration, direction, and more. The Bolts will communicate with each other through infrared, too, which works even while rolling around and on the move.
Sphero wants you to know the Bolt has educational uses, too. Whether you're buying one for the classroom or the home, you can use the free apps to learn how to control them, design and play games, and write some basic codes for them. Sphero Play is the app for having fun and playing games. Sphero Edu is the app for more classroom-oriented learning. Both are free and compatible on a wide range of devices.
The Bolt starts at $149.99. It does add some extra features like the LED matrix, 100-foot range Bluetooth, and a water and scratch-resistant shell, but you can always go with the more affordable option, the $50 Sphero Mini. It's another app-controlled robotic ball worth trying out for a third of the price. The Bolt comes with an inductive charging base, protractor, and sticker sheet.