Day 7: Sphero World Cup Soccer

• A gyroscope that knows which way is up
• A compass that tracks direction (0° to 360°)
• An accelerometer that knows when you're pushing it
• A motor controlled by your phone over Bluetooth
• An LED matrix so it can show you faces, numbers, and patterns

1. Open the Sphero EDU app on your phone or tablet.
2. Connect to your Sphero (it'll wake up and blink).
3. Use the Drive tab. Aim it. Move it. Stop it. Spin it.
4. Calibrate the heading: the BLUE light marks the BACK of the Sphero. Spin the dial so blue points at you. Now "forward" on your phone matches forward in real life.

Spend 15 minutes just driving. Try:

• Slow speed first. Find the limit before you go full speed.
• Drive in a circle. Then a figure-8.
• Set up a 3D printed cone. Drive AT it, around it, knock it over.
• Two students — chase each other.
• Drive backward without looking at the Sphero. (Look at your phone.)

When you can make it go exactly where you want, you're ready for the next part.

Set up 5 of the 3D printed cones in a straight line, about 1 foot apart. Drive your Sphero in a snake pattern — left of the first cone, right of the second, left of the third, and so on, without knocking any over.

Time yourself. Beat your time. Then go backward through.

One of the 3D printed soccer goals sits on the floor. Mark a "spot" 4 feet away (use a cone). Drive your Sphero from the spot into the goal.

Then try it from different angles. Move the spot at 45° to the goal. Now at 60°. The wider the angle, the smaller your target.

Find a partner. Stand 6 feet apart. Use one ping pong ball or small foam ball.

Take turns: one of you drives the Sphero to push the ball to the other. The other receives — drives THEIR Sphero up to the ball and pushes it back. Count how many clean passes you can make in a row.

When that gets easy: try it moving. Both Spheros walking sideways while passing. That's how real soccer is played.

One partner drives at the goal. The other plays goalkeeper — drive your Sphero side-to-side along the goal line and try to block the shot. Switch every 5 attempts.

Group up into teams of 3 players. Each team will get 3 Spheros for the tournament — one per player.

Pick a real country playing in the 2026 World Cup. Argentina. Brazil. Mexico. Morocco. Germany. Japan. France. England. Spain. Croatia. The USA. Pick one that matters to you, your family, your heritage, or just one you want to root for.

In the Sphero EDU app, go to Programs → Create New → Blocks. Set the LED matrix to display your country's flag colors. Two-color flags work great on the matrix.

For example: France is blue / white / red. Germany is black / red / yellow. Brazil is green / yellow. Pick your country's colors and code them into your Sphero. Now everyone knows who you are on the field.

Before the tournament starts, your team has 5 minutes to talk strategy:

• Who plays goalkeeper? (Probably your most patient driver.)
• Who plays defender? (The one who's fast at reacting.)
• Who plays striker? (Most aggressive driver.)
• What's your team's call when one of you is open for a pass?
• What's your team's plan when you're losing? When you're winning?

• 3 vs 3 inside the pipe insulation arena, 3D printed goals at each end.
• One ball — a ping pong ball or small foam ball — is the soccer ball.
• Push the ball with your Sphero into the opposing goal to score.
• You can bump opponents' Spheros (that's a tackle), but no full-speed ramming — Spheros are tougher than they look but not invincible.
• The arena walls keep the ball in. If the ball does escape, restart from the side it went out.
• Matches run as your instructor sets — typically 5 to 7 minutes each.

• Stay calm. Panicked drivers crash. Patient drivers score.
• Pass to space, not to feet. Push the ball where your teammate is GOING to be.
• Defenders, watch the ball. Attackers, watch your teammates.
• Goalkeeper, stay small and central. Don't chase the ball outside the goal.
• If you're losing, change something. Switch positions. Try a long pass. Don't keep doing the same thing.

• Robotics engineer — designs the next generation of autonomous machines. UC Irvine, UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona, and Caltech all have programs.
• Sports tech engineer — works on tracking systems, VAR cameras, ball sensors. Adidas's "Connected Ball" used in the actual 2026 World Cup has motion sensors very similar to a Sphero.
• Autonomous vehicle engineer — programs self-driving cars. The motion math is the same: heading, speed, obstacle avoidance.
• Drone pilot / drone engineer — same control challenge, in three dimensions instead of two.
• Game designer — designs the rules and balance of competitive games. Studios like Riot Games (Irvine), Blizzard (Irvine), and Insomniac Games are all in driving distance.
• Esports producer / referee — runs competitive video gaming events. UCI has the first college-level esports arena in the country.

Local note: UC Irvine's esports arena is 10 minutes from PAL Center. The robotics labs at Cal Poly Pomona, USC Viterbi, and UCLA are all within an hour. Cypress College and Orange Coast College have entry-level robotics programs that transfer into 4-year engineering degrees.