Sphero BOLT App-Enabled Robot

Features:
  • Sphero BOLT is an app-enabled robotic ball that you can drive and code, providing endless opportunities to be creative and have fun while learning.
  • BOLT’s programmable 8x8 LED Matrix can animate and display real-time data.
  • Powered by the Sphero Edu app (available on nearly any mobile or desktop device), you can code BOLT by drawing, using Scratch blocks, or writing JavaScript.
  • Advanced yet approachable, you can learn programming, complete hands-on activities, and share your creations with the community.
  • Programmable sensors including Infrared, Compass, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, and Motor Encoders.
  • It’s fun to take for a spin. Simply drive BOLT and play games. Wireless Connection
  • Durable. Waterproof. Inductive charging. 2+ hour battery life. Connects via Bluetooth.
Bought it for Christmas and opened it early!

We love Sphero products (we have a Mini and a SPRK+) and were excited to add this new robot to the family. The matrix is awesome and the auto-aiming feature is super cool. I planned to make the kiddo wait until Christmas to play with it, but that rarely works. The sooner she learns to code, the more likely mom can likely retire at a reasonable age.

First good robot we ever bought!

I have to say there are a lot of junk "robots" out there but this one is great. Very well made, you can be rough with it and it helps the kids learn how to program. Well worth the $130 price.

Great Learning Tool For Adults

These days, learning never ends. Even for adults. This robotic ball is an excellent way for us to learn what wasn't available when we were kids. The best thing about the Sphero SPRK+ is that it makes learning "Fun" and "Exciting".

So cool.

My 10 year old daughter is so excited to learn to program this! So far all we've played is tic tac toe, but she has been playing with it on her own all day and she's beaming!

Fun and educational

My 6 (now 7 year old) took a Sphero coding class at our local Apple store. She loved it. So for her 7th Birthday we bought her this Sphero. I homeschool her so she works with her Sphero about at least once a week. She gets better and it every time. It is building great necessary skills that will enable her to go far in life! It’s fun and doesn’t feel like “school” when she is coding her robot through the path around our house. My husband creates patches using blue painters tape on our hardwood floor throughout the house. Have also found it great with adding and estimating for the time, we try to set it all to the same speed then have her figure out how many seconds it will take to go the different lengths.

Sphero BOLT is a great STEM robot

From the second BOLT arrived on my door step I was excited to see what Sphero had placed in its latest product. I opened the package and found a BOLT, charging cable, dock, compass/clock, and of course stickers! I then downloaded the Sphero EDU app to play around with the new LED Matrix that is fully programmable and it allowed me to create emojis and all sorts of fun creations. I then played around with the block based programming and created a fun program for BOLT to follow. I also downloaded the Sphero Play app and it allows you to play mini games, change LED matrix colors, and drive. There is so much you can do with BOLT!

Great educational "toy"

Great educational "toy". My son is learning so much about coding and how it works. Most days were cad th get him to put it down long enough to charge it. Great buy, great price, great choice!

Great for Physics class!

I use this in my Physics class to help teach coding basics along with physics principles. Instead of just talking about distance, velocity, and acceleration, I place X's in the hallway and the kids have to measure to them and create the code required to get there. They have to work out the coding blocks (which are really easy), and they can use whatever speed and time they want to get the desired distance. It works great, and the kids love using it.

A Great Addition to Any STEM Classroom!

I love using Sphero robots in my third grade classroom. The BOLT is a great addition to our Sphero STEM collection, joining our current lineup of BB-8, BB-9E, and a SPRK+. HARDWARE REVIEW BOLT is just as durable as the SPRK+, but it has some upgrades that make it my new go-to for demonstrations. Sphero upgraded the battery life on the BOLT, minimizing worries that the battery might during a longer STEM project. I used it during my 90-minute Wednesday lab, starting with a full charge, and it was still rolling when we lined up for the buses at the end of our lab. The LED matrix is an update on the color-changing SPRK. Now the kids can program in things like text and simple images to give the BOLT some character. There are also new sensors for things like light, magnetic north, and infrared that I haven’t had time to play around with yet. I do think my kids will have fun with the light sensors; and I look forward to using them to add another layer of complexity for my students who easily master basic blocky programming. SOFTWARE REVIEW This robot is compatible with the existing Sphero apps. You won’t have any nasty surprises if you change from an older robot to a BOLT. As an elementary teacher, the Sphero Edu app is one of my favorites to introduce coding. The kids program the robot using blocky, which is a great intro to coding and children pick it up very quickly. I teach 8 and 9 year olds, so it can be challenging to find a starting point for computer science that is on their level and engaging. The hands-on nature of these robots keeps them entertained and excited for the whole lesson. My kids love to design challenges for one another and I love watching them try to problem solve and work together.

Fun gift for a tween who is interested in beginning to code

I got this for Christmas for my daughter who is 12 and is just starting to show an interest in coding. I was afraid it would be too simplistic for her, or not really fun, but she really loves it! The block code it primarily uses is simple. However, she is challenging herself to come up with different programs, and that keeps her busy. She has fun programming moving images with the lights. She just made a little fox with the LED lights that winks and snowflakes that fall when the Bolt is shaken like a snow globe. She has built obstacle courses on the living room floor and programmed the Bolt to navigate them. She got the Bolt to follow a path from her room to her brother's, flash, and then display written messages using the LED display. Since the Bolt can also be programmed using JavaScript, we hope she will be able to continue to learn with this toy, even after the novelty of making the simple block programs wears off.

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