Sphero

With distance and hybrid learning continuing for most K–12 children as we start the school year, the team at Sphero has helped make things easier on everyone. They recently announced their release of two new home learning kits featuring the Sphero Mini and littleBits so that STEAM experiences can continue at home and kids can enjoy hands-on play.

The databot is a small, programmable robot outfitted with an array of built-in sensors that are constantly capturing real-world data. Students can use this data to create programs for the small, cube-like databot to execute. It works with the Google Science Journal platform, but the databot Robot is also compatible with another powerful STEAM tool: the Sphero RVR!

Whether teaching computer science lessons using the Sphero Mini, BOLT, or RVR, Sphero’s robotics solutions open up a whole lot of possibilities for computer science education. You can also try taking your STEAM teaching and learning further and pair the robots with the corresponding curriculum, Sphero’s CS Foundations Courses, which are now available on our store!

The BOLT Power Pack was adapted from the SPRK+ Power Pack except it now supports charging the Sphero BOLT. It holds 15 BOLTs and is available as an all-inclusive set with robots and accessories (charging cradles/cables, protractors, turbo covers, maze tape rolls, and stickers) and also as an empty pack for those who already have BOLT robots.

In case you missed it, the shift of the former STEAM supplier, littleBits, to Sphero has seemingly come full circle. Last week, social media posts on the old littleBits channels indicated that everything would be moving to Sphero’s channels and, earlier this week, that’s exactly what happened as this merger unfolds.

Modeled off of the popular and inclusive Sphero Mini Robot, their Mini Golf Kit comes with a custom, redesigned Sphero Mini that looks like a real golf ball—and students can drive, program, and play with it in all kinds of ways as they try to sink their own hole-in-one! Keep reading to learn more about the simplicity of the Sphero Mini,

When paired with the BOLT, writing code in the Sphero Edu app proved easy thanks to the step-by-step tutorials and detailed videos of the process. The coding levels offer a progressive experience, allowing students with varying programming experience to experiment, get creative, and learn new STEM skills with BOLT!

The RVR is the first Sphero robot that can drive over practically any surface and be programmed and customized to inspire creativity in students. It’s outfitted with an expansion port and on-board power supply that allows students to build onto their robot with littleBits or other third-party hardware, like the micro:bit or Raspberry Pi.

You might know that Sphero’s robots can be programmed using engaging computer science concepts and the Sphero Edu app while littleBits helps kids understand the important elements of circuitry by snapping together their magnetic blocks to construct circuits. What you might not realize, however, is that Sphero and littleBits are now one.

The first time students open the box that holds the Sphero SPRK+, the robot will be in Deep Sleep mode. They can bring it to Sleep mode by placing it on the charging cradle. Sleep mode is equivalent to standby, which allows Sphero to remain ready to connect for up to nine months without being recharged.