Friday, June 27: Sphero Speedway Showdown

What is Sphero Bolt?

Sphero BOLT – the ultimate coding robotic ball! It is a programmable robotic ball designed for education, offering students a hands-on way to learn coding and STEM concepts. It’s an app-enabled robot that can be controlled and programmed to move, light up, and interact with its environment. The BOLT features an 8×8 LED matrix for animations and data display, and advanced sensors like a gyroscope, accelerometer, and infrared communication.  You can connect using your phone, tablet, or computer. 

Let’s check it out in action with the video below: 

Your Task

You will design, test, and refine an obstacle course or racetrack for your Sphero. You will have several 3D printed obstacles to choose from.  You will have 5 minutes to draw out your design and 15 minutes to create your obstacle course or race track with our obstacles. Be creative and use your imagination. Your design doesn’t have to look like a typical obstacle course or race track. 

Download Sphero EDU

To download the Sphero Edu app on your phone, search for “Sphero Edu” in your device’s app store (Google Play Store for Android, or App Store for iOS) and install it. The app is also available on other platforms like Windows and macOS, and through a web app. 

Steps:

  1. Open the App Store: Locate and open the app store on your phone (Google Play Store for Android, App Store for iOS). 
  2. Search for Sphero Edu: In the search bar, type “Sphero Edu”. 
  3. Install the App: Find the Sphero Edu app in the search results and tap “Install” or “Get”. 
  4. Launch the App: Once installed, open the app. 
  5. Connect your Sphero Robot: The app will guide you through connecting your Sphero robot via Bluetooth. 

Plan Your Course

You will have 5 minutes to plan out an obstacle course or racetrack with your group. Think about what obstacles you want to add on, if you will add twists and turns, etc. Draw out multiple options if you finish early or get really detailed with one. Remember, have fun and be creative!

Inspiration:

Building Your Design

Now that you have your plan, you will have 15-20 minutes to create your design. Take your time and grab a Sphero to check out the width. You will not be driving yet so don’t connect to your Sphero yet!

Testing Time!

Now that you have planned and built out your course, it is time to test it! Watch the videos below to connect to your Sphero. You will be using the “Draw” Program to test out your creation!

How to connect your Sphero

Watch the video above but not the following changes:

  • After you click “Programs” click on the “Draw” and then “Sphero Bolt”

Now that you are connected, test out your course and improve it as needed. As you work on your course, you will inevitably need to make edits to your course. This is part of the process! It is okay if your course isn’t perfect the first run or if you struggle with the Sphero EDU app. Take your time and when you finish testing your course, check out others and have them test yours. Share what improvements you all think are needed and make those changes alone the way. 

Wrap Up

Now that you have finished your task, discuss the following questions: 

  1. What was the most difficult part of this process? How did you work around this difficulty?
  2. While checking out your peers courses, what were some of the ideas that you really liked? Where there any that really stood out to you that you would like to incorporate if you did this project again?
  3. What was the best part of this project? Say thank you to someone who helped you along this process! 

Extensions

Have extra time? Try these 3 extensions!

  1. Timed Runs: Have students race one another one at a time until you have a winner.
  2. Large Speedway: Have students put together all of their courses to make a large speedway all around the area.
  3. Free Drive: Use the free driving mode on Sphero EDU to drive around your course. 

 

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