Sphero Arena
You're getting a Sphero — a robot ball you drive from your phone. Day 1 you'll learn to control it, design it for your country, and play in a World Cup soccer tournament. Day 2 you choose your own challenge — keep playing soccer, build a battle bot, race the clock, or program a maze.
How do you control a robot precisely enough to win a game with it?
You and your partner share one Sphero. It's a little robot with a motor, a compass, and lights inside, and you drive it from the Sphero EDU app over Bluetooth. First job: make it go exactly where you want.
Open the Sphero EDU app on your phone or tablet. Tap connect — your Sphero wakes up and blinks. Only one phone connects to each Sphero, so decide who connects first.
Go to the Drive tab. The blue light marks the BACK of the Sphero. Spin the aim dial until the blue tail points at you. Now "forward" on your phone means forward in real life. Most driving problems are really calibration problems.
Spend a few minutes just driving. Start slow and find the limit before full speed. Try a circle, then a figure-8, then drive backward while looking only at your phone. Trade the controls with your partner. When you can park it on a spot, you're ready.
One Sphero, two drivers. Swap every couple of minutes so you both get good before the games start.
Great soccer players don't just kick hard — they control where the ball goes. Watch how spin makes a ball curve, then think about how you'll steer and push your ball today.
Your Sphero pushes a foosball, not a full-size ball. Hitting it dead-center sends it straight; hitting it off-center makes it spin and curve. Angle and speed are your whole game.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is happening right now across the US, Mexico, and Canada. Pick a country to play as — your family's, your heritage, or just one you want to root for — then build your player in its colors.
Color a paper cup in your country's flag colors. Add your team name, a number, a flag — make it yours. This cup is your player.
Tape straws to the sides of the cup as legs so your player looks like it's running. Keep it light so your Sphero can still push the ball.
Set the decorated cup upside down over your Sphero. When it rolls, your player runs. Save this cup — you'll use it again on Day 2.
Watch how the Soccer-Bots come together:
Real players warm up before a match. Run these quick drills with your partner before the tournament.
Line your foosball up and push it in a straight line to your partner. Hit it dead-center. Do 5 clean pushes in a row.
Set a target or goal a few feet away. Drive the foosball into it. Then move to a wide angle and try again — the sharper the angle, the smaller the target.
Swap drivers and run both drills again. In the tournament you'll take turns, so both of you need the touch.
Game time. Your staff will send teams to the arenas and run the schedule. Play hard, play clean, and watch the standings.
- Push the foosball into the other team's goal to score.
- Bumping an opponent's Sphero is a tackle — but no full-speed ramming. Spheros are tougher than they look, not invincible.
- The arena walls keep the ball in. If it escapes, restart from where it went out.
- Matches run about 5 minutes each, or as your staff calls it.
Just like the real World Cup: a group stage where every team plays a few matches, then the top teams move to a knockout round and a final. Lose your first match? You're still in — that's what the group stage is for.
You've got the skills — which challenge do you want to take on today?
Grab your Sphero, open the Sphero EDU app, connect, and recalibrate (blue tail points at you). One quick test drive to shake off the rust — then choose your challenge. The stations are all set up, and you can switch when you're ready.
- ⚽ Keep playing soccer — the arenas are still up
- ⚔️ Battle Bots — build a fighter and duel (2 arenas)
- 🏁 Speed Race — quick head-to-head, great while you wait
- 🧩 Maze — build it, drive it, then code it
Loved Day 1? The soccer arenas are still set up. Run rematches, start a fresh tournament, or challenge a team you didn't get to face. Same rules as yesterday — push the foosball into the goal, no full-speed ramming.
Turn your Sphero into a fighter that carries a balloon to protect and a skewer to attack. Pop others, keep yours alive. Two arenas are set up, so there's plenty of room to duel.
See a finished battle bot in action:
Set the cup upside down over your Sphero. Blow a balloon up all the way and tape it to the BACK of the cup — a fully stretched balloon pops easily, so that's your weak spot to defend. Tape the skewer to the FRONT, just the tip out. That's your popper. Test it: the cup should move when the Sphero rolls, and the skewer points where you drive.
The skewer stays taped to the cup at floor level, aimed at balloons — never at people. Don't pick it up, wave it, or point it at anyone. Drive from outside the arena. If your rig comes apart, stop and ask a staff member to fix it.
- Attack balloons only — last balloon standing wins the round.
- Popped balloon = you're out for that round. Lift your Sphero out and cheer on the rest.
- Rounds run by arena — your staff calls "GO" and "STOP."
Keep your balloon away from the action and strike with your front. Circle, don't charge head-on — whoever turns fastest usually pops first.
Fast and simple — perfect to jump into while you wait for an arena. Line up next to another team and race.
- Start at the line. Drive straight down the stretch to the cone.
- Loop around the cone and race straight back.
- First ROV across the start line wins — or run it solo and beat your own time.
- Knock the cone or leave your lane and you reset the turn.
The turn around the cone decides it. Slow down a hair going in, make a tight loop, and power out — a wide, fast turn loses every time.
Build a course, then beat it — first by hand, then by code. This one's the brain-bender.
Use masking tape on the floor (or cups and blocks) to lay out a path with turns and dead ends. Make it tricky, but make sure a Sphero fits through.
Steer your Sphero through by hand, start to finish, without touching the walls. Do a couple of clean runs and count your turns.
Now make it drive itself. In the Sphero EDU app, use the blocks (roll, turn, wait) to program the whole path — no hands. Watch your driving from Step 2: how long you rolled and how many degrees you turned become your code. Tune it until it clears the maze on its own.
Watch a coded maze run:
You drove, designed, competed, and problem-solved your way through two big days. Awesome work, crew — you're just getting started.