If you really want your tech cred, you should get the Orbotix Sphero remote control robotic ball when it’s released later this year because this thing will delight the non-tech savvy in your house and it has enough tech in it to impress even the most jaded geek.
The Sphero is a robotic ball that’s about the size of a baseball and you can use your Android, iPhone or iPad to control the thing via Bluetooth. The Sphero app lets you control the ball via an on-screen track pad or by tilting your device.
The company says the Sphero robotic ball uses components from air traffic controllers and open source software, so it could be a relatively cheap way for programmers to get into robotics. It has fully open APIs and the company is hoping that third-party developers will create some fun games to play with the ball.
While that may seem odd at first, the Sphero robotic ball will come with a few games out of the box. There’s a lap game that sends the ball off in a lap (as you’d expect), there’s a sumo game where two Sphero balls battle for supremacy and there’s even a math game where solving a math problem will allow you take over someone’s ball.
The device should land by the end of the year for less than $100 and that’s a solid price considering all the tech that you’re getting. Check out the video below for a bit of the action and let us know what you think in the comments.
