Here’s the closest thing we have to a real life Wall-E. Or at least, the wheels of Wall-E. The Sphero 2B is a new robot toy from Orbotix that can move as fast as 14 feet a second. That’s supposedly the equivalent of a 6 minute mile and twice as fast as the Sphero 2.0. The spinning tube has comically rugged tires that allows it to adorably jolt out at breakneck speeds and tackle any surface.
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Sphero, as the name implies, was a robotic sphere. Now Orbotix, the makers of this beloved ball, have decided to elongate the it into a tube (a cylinder, really), drop the price to $99, and make one of the funnest little toys I’ve ever seen. If the original Sphero was Eve, their new produce, 2B, is Wall-E. This scrappy device is twice as fast as the current version of the Sphero and will cost about $99 when it is released this Fall.
Orbotix cofounder Ian Bernstein said that Sphero was one of the first connected devices – a device that tethered to a smartphone. By expanding the original product while simplifying the design they think they’ll be able to get the 2B into more living rooms.
“2B looks and drives like it’s something from the future,” said Bernstein. The company will create accessories for 2B including nubby tires for outdoor play and a built-in IR sensor and light that will let you play tag with multiple 2Bs and race them from checkpoint to checkpoint.
We got the chance to play with the 2B at CES 2014 and I was definitely impressed – it looks to be a lot of fun.
The company also updated their app to support more features on the Sphero 2.0 and have announced Sphero Rangers, a school program to teach kids programming and geometry using the Sphero as sort of a real-life LOGO Turtle. The 2B will work with most of these new programming features.
Amazon made waves with its Amazon Air drone delivery concept, and a video of a recent test flight really brought that concept to life. Now robotics startup and iPhone-enabled toy maker Sphero has a concept of its own to reveal, complete with a shot-for-shot remake of the original video by the online e-commerce giant – they call it Amazon Ground.
Sphero makes iPhone-controlled rolling spherical robots that light up and can play a number of app-enabled games using one or more units, and the video above, while created for laffs, does give you an idea of what they’re capable of. The company released version 2.0 of the Sphero earlier this year, and Amazon’s a key retail partner.
Using Sphero in this way is of course rife with logistical problems, not least of which would be the overwhelming urge to kick these diminutive delivery people clear across the street should you encounter them in the wild. Don’t get me wrong, I find Sphero very endearing, but a ball must needs kicking. This is a well-crafted parody tribute, but those spherical robots do look right at home in that warehouse and could conceivably be of some limited use in that specific setting, so who knows what the future will bring.
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Sometimes it’s summer, and instead of real news like the introduction of a new and improved Sphero robotic ball, we hear a lot of news prediction.
Will Elon Musk’s high-speed train idea, Hyperloop, ever actually get built? How sure are we that the next iPhone will be revealed at an event on September 10? And is Amazon really building a gaming/media console or is that just a persistent rumor?
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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Have you heard about the Sphero before? If you have answered in the negative, here is a little background on this little critter which we looked at nearly three years back – it is a ball which can be controlled by most smartphones of the day, and with time aging it gracefully, it goes without saying that an update is in order; which is where Sphero 2.0 would come in handy.
Sphero 2.0 by Orbotix will bring along with it a slew of new features, where they would include a faster motor, smoothing turning and brighter LED lights within the ball. According to Adam Wilson, Sphero’s chief software architect, the Sphero 2.0 has been given a new breathe of life, where it can travel at double its original speed, while the main app would also be on the receiving end of a user interface modification (for the better), with a gamification element thrown into the mix, too. New Sphero 2.0 owners are required to master driving it around as well as perform other tasks with it before the Sphero 2.0’s full potential and power are unlocked. Right now a bunch of first- and third-party games are available for Sphero on iOS and Android, with The Rolling Dead being one of them. The new Sphero 2.0 will retail for $129.99 a pop, with pre-orders starting from today onwards.
Sphero 2.0 Is Kid-Focused original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Get ready for the next generation of playing with your balls.
Sphero, the robotic ball out of Orbotix that can be controlled with just a smartphone, has now grown up a bit, with the company launching Sphero 2.0 today.
Sphero 2.0 is twice as fast, rolling at a clip of about seven feet per second, and it’s three times as brightly lit as the first generation ball. According to co-founder Chief Software Architect, Adam Wilson, the second-gen robot isn’t just faster and stronger, it’s actually smarter.
Sphero 2.0 is now equipped with a different user interface, letting you “level up” as you get more and more control over the ball. When you start, you’ll be at a somewhat limited speed. The more you level up by completing challenges (such as driving for a whole minute without hitting anything), the faster your Sphero will roll, and the more LED colors you’ll have access to.
Even with other Sphero games, such as tag, you can level up and get more speed.
Along with the upgraded robot, Sphero 2.0 also comes with an inductive charger and two little ramps right out of the box, so you can work on getting some air.
As an added accessory, you can also pick up something the Orbotix guys are calling a “Nubby Protector,” which is a little rubber cover that gives the Sphero some extra traction, especially when you’re playing around in the pool. Covers come in red, clear, blue or yellow.
But Sphero 2.0 isn’t the only robot rushing around — Orbotix is also introducing Sphero Revealed, an Apple-exclusive version of the device that has a partially clear shell so users can see the inner-workings of the robot.
Sphero 2.0 is meant to reach a new demographic. Obviously, nerds and tech geeks lean toward the Sphero considering it’s one of the more advanced consumer robots available on the market. But Orbotix wants to reach younger kids, who automatically seem to enjoy the idea of leveling up and giving their Spheros an identity.
Plus, getting on board with a younger demographic allows for more educational opportunities with the Sphero.
Sphero 2.0 is currently compatible with up to 25 different applications and games, along with the standard Sphero app.
According to Wilson, the two-year break between new models is about what we should expect from Orbotix moving forward, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t working on other things. Wilson revealed that the company has things in the pipeline, including stuff to show at CES in January. So there’s plenty to look forward to.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on a Sphero 2.0, which costs $129.99, pre-order begins today with in-store availability starts on August 31. And if you’re really excited about seeing the guts of a Sphero, hold out until September 4 and you can pick up a translucent Sphero Revealed in Apple Stores.
The original Sphero will also drop down to $109.99 at retail.
A robotic ball you control with your phone? What’s not to like? Well, we managed to find a few things when we took a look at the first generation back in 2011 — that’s what we do. Most of the criticisms of the original Sphero came down to pricing and the admittedly short list of things it could actually do at the time. Sure it was pretty great at driving feline friends completely nuts — but that alone wasn’t enough to justify the $130 price tag. Orbotix has made some improvements since then, and more importantly, the open API has given users a much fuller experience, with around 20 or so compatible titles currently available on the iPhone.
This month, the company is refreshing the device itself, with the simply titled Sphero 2.0. The particularly astute among you will no doubt notice that nothing has really changed here from an aesthetic standpoint. Nope, it’s the same white plastic ball with the cartoony Sphero mascot on one side and all of the fine print (FCC info, “Made in China,” etc.) on the other, with a series of interlinking, barely visible lines across its surface. There have been some hardware changes to the toy, but everything’s on the inside, namely brighter lights and faster speeds — as the company insists in its press material, it’s “only slightly slower than a Lamborghini.” Of course, scale’s important here.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Go Sphero
I first saw the Sphero robotic ball about 2 years ago at CES, but I never really got a chance to play with one hands-on until now. When I first saw it in action, all I wanted to say was “Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.” This little orb is packed with cool technology that lets you use it as a remote-control vehicle, a game controller, and tech toy/plaything.
Made by Orbotix, the Sphero itself is a durable polycarbonate-shelled orb which fits nicely in the palm of your hand. This is no accident, since this makes it work perfectly as a controller or plaything itself when it’s not rolling around on the floor. Inside of the ball are its brains, wireless circuit, motion sensors, motors, a small rechargeable battery and multicolor LEDs.
The spherical robot is capable of traversing a variety of surfaces, including hardwood floors, tile, grass, concrete and low-pile carpet (it has a hard time on thicker carpets). It’s even waterproof, so you can drive it around in the bathtub or in a puddle. To juice up the Sphero, simply set it in its inductive charging cradle, and it’ll go for up to an hour on a single charge.
You control the Sphero using either iOS or Android apps, which range from the main Sphero R/C controller app to games, interactive toys, augmented reality and macro programming apps. The library of Sphero apps continues to grow too, since there’s a full Sphero API and SDK available for developers to make their own applications. Many of the current apps are free, while the few that cost money sell for $1.99 or less.
Playing with Sphero is a blast, and it’s stupid-simple to use. Simply pair it with your Bluetooth device, load up an app of your choice, orient the Sphero properly and start playing. It’ll operate at distances up to about 50 feet from your device. Setting the Sphero’s orientation is simple. Just place the ball on the ground and use two fingers to maneuver its secondary blue “tail” LED to point towards you. If you should pick up and move the Sphero, you can do this again in a jiffy.
The main Sphero app is a great place to start, as it lets you drive the Sphero and play with its colors with ease. You can choose from a touch-based or motion-based control scheme, as well as several pre-set macros for things like circles, Figure 8′s and a flashing light show.
The Sphero app can also capture stills or video of your escapades and save them to your device.
And if you log into the Sphero ecosystem, you can record fun achievements, track stats and compete with others for Sphero supremacy.
I tried out just about every Sphero app I could find on the iTunes App Store, and here are my personal favorites: 1) ColorGrab – a frustrating, but fun multiplayer game in which players must quickly pick up the Sphero when its flashing in a specified color; 2) Draw & Drive – which lets you simply draw a path for your Sphero to follow; 3) Etch-o-Matic – this turns your Sphero into the controller for an Etch-a-Sketch inspired drawing pad; and 4) Sharky – an augmented reality app which turns your Sphero into a funny looking beaver that you flick virtual cupcakes at. It’s completely silly, but a fun tech demo.
The hacker in me got the most joy out of the MacroLab app, which lets you create complex programming sequences for the Sphero, adjusting all of its available parameters. These include movement, rotation, light color, speed, and basic programming constructs like delays and loops. The only thing I wish is that you could take your saved macros and load them into the main Sphero application for playback. Apparently, the Android version can even control multiple Spheros at the same time.
If you and your friends have more than one Sphero, they can be independently controlled for races, running obstacle courses, or even for playing Sphero miniature golf (which can also be played solo).
All in all, I really have had a good time playing with the Sphero, and I can only imagine that kids and geeks of all ages would get a kick out of having one. It’s also great for tormenting your pets. The fact that it’s programmable and has a software development community means that even if you get bored with it for a little while, there will be more apps coming down the pike to give it new life. And if you’re a real tinkerer, you can even make your own apps.
Sphero sells for $129.99(USD) over on the Sphero website, and is also available from a number of retailers both online and offline.
Disclosure: Orbotix provided the Sphero for review in this article. However, all reviews are the unbiased views of our editorial staff, and we will only recommend products or services we have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.
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