The folks from Orbotix stopped by the MAKE office a few weeks ago to show off the new Sphero 2.0, part video game, part rolling robot. Watching folks drive the brightly colored balls around the MAKE lab brought a smile to everyone’s face, especially the ones who were doing the driving.
Sphero 2.0 rolls 7 feet per second and pairs to handheld devices via Bluetooth. It works with Android and iOS devices and is supported by more than 25 apps. The orbs are powered by induction charging and an internal smart robot. It’s made for gameplay, be it solitary or multiple player. The balls glow in a wide range of colors and they’re designed to be pet proof and waterproof.
Orbotix is offering a Sphero 2.0 giveaway that will let one lucky winner get in on the fun. To be eligible to win a Sphero 2.0, simply leave a comment below, telling us what you would do with your very own robotic ball, by 11:59am PT on Tuesday, Nov. 26th. We will randomly select the winner. The deal includes a Nubby cover, a slip-on cover that gives Sphero off-road traction and extra protection.
Orbotix is also offering MAKE readers a free Nubby cover with purchase of a Sphero 2.0. Use the code MAKENUBBY at checkout after adding a Sphero 2.0 and a Nubby cover to your cart. The cost of the Nubby will be subtracted from the total. Click here to check it out.
493 thoughts on “Get Rolling: Sphero 2.0 Giveaway”
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I have both a cat and a 5 year old grandson…not sure which I would torment first with a Sphero. Good fun either way!
Would be used to drive my dogs nuts. Assuming that this can withstand them.
I would use it to take over the world. Or at least my house while my cat is distracted.
I would most definitely use it to chase my dog around the house.
6 & 7 year olds. Nuff said???
Yes, the obvious answer would be to drive your pets nuts. As a parent, perhaps this could be used as a tool for learning in some kind of game… aha, get two Sphero 2.0’s and two paddles and play two-person live-action pong on the floor!
I have 3 girls and 3 cats. I can see it getting taken away from the girls either for chasing the cats or arguing over who’s turn it is. Then it would be my turn. :-)
With this, I would become a cat terrorist… I would lie lurking in the shadows of night for my opportunity to strike, and the cats of the world would be suddenly aware, and be suddenly afraid, as mine would be a nameless terror, because cats do not speak, but if they did, they would cry “WHAAAAAA?!?!”
Oooh, my wife would love it if I got one of these. She enjoys it when I roll my balls around the house!
I teach middle school robotics. Kids love robots! I would love to have another robot to show the kids!
Endless fun for me and my boy.
Funny how a robot immediately makes you think of tormenting pets and kids. Times have changed. Not complaining, that’s exactly what I’ll do.
I’ve already built two robots, one with Arduino, one using EZ-Robot and hacked a brookstone rover to chase my son. I’ve been slowly working on getting them to communicate. Given the open nature of the Sphero API and SDK, I suspect it wouldn’t take me long to get it in the herd. I also have a Great Dane / Mastiff mutt who is terrified of my robot creations, so I suppose I would also make some video of the ensuing chaos to share with the Sphero team. Thanks for the giveaway!
I would see if it’s possible to make it into an aqua-sphero. Maybe with a paddle cover?
This might just prove to be faster than my dogs! If Mr. Red Dot can’t drive them nuts, this can.
I would drive this around with my nephews.
I have 2 cats and my son is 11 months old… A sphero would be extremely fun.
I would chase around my 1 year old son with it!
NOTHING short of ruling all basketballs, baseballs, golfballs, tennisballs, etc worldwide.
I would drive it around my campus while video recording from afar to see how many people were caught off guard. Like a dollar bill on a fishing pole gag.
Playing with cats of course
World Domination!
The first thing I’d do with the Sphero is attempt to open it to see how it works and assess its hackability. I’d want to use the sphero to develop my own games, perhaps with added sensors or features. There would also be the required amount of dog and cat chasing which could lead to game development for dogs and cats and their people.
I could set the Sphero to play with my dog while I’m at work.
First, torment the cat. Then a father/son development project. Could be fun.
Scare my girlfriend!
Sphero would be endless fun for my kids aged 1 – 12.
RasPi web server… Home webcams… Sphero… Endless hours wasted at work playing with the cats and dog at home….
Might be fun for my 11yr old son and I to program our Mindstorms robot to play tag with the Sphero.
We have two dogs, two cats, and three kids. We’d be able to freak them *all* out!
I mean, get them to exercise. Yeah, that’s it.
Mess with my dog.
I’d love a Sphero to play with my cats.
Gee, they updated it. Now I need a new one. Save me the cost? Please?
I would drive my kids nuts with it…by letting them watch me play with it
I’ll beat every cat in my campus with this hilarious ball
huaahaha
I’d program it to play with my daughters and cat. I’d have it run away from them….
My son is obsessed with robots. I’d love to play with this robot ball with him.
Yes, please.
I would use it to learn more about robotics and to ‘exercise’ my dogs when it’s raining outside.
Sending it ahead as an imaginary pathfinder. Who knows what danger lurks ahead?
My son would love a reverse (uphill) marble run!
I would revel in the thought that I could have created a successful company like Orbotix did. In college for my senior project I invented a remote controlled 12″ diameter sphere. It was quite a feat for it’s time, but the pendulum mechanism was already patented as I later found out so I didn’t pursue it as a product.
My daughter and her cat will have endless fun with a Sphero. Wonder what the chickens in the yard would think, especially with the added traction of the nubby cover?
I think this would find use pestering dogs and coworkers, as well as some inside fun during the cold season.
Cheers!
Use it to create a custom 3d printed obstetrical course!! I’m thinking Mouse Trap theme :)
obstacle*****
Chase play hide and seek with the kids.
I would definitely use this for some new bowling style games.
Kid likes robots and tormenting the cat. So does spouse. ‘Nuff said.
Cat torturing seems to be the most likely response. I would try to pair it to a Rasberry Pi and a camera to see if the Pi could drive it around and avoid obstacles / chase cats. This would be a good task for our Robotics group!
Me and my kids would play with it.. taking turns.
id put it inside the discarded skin of an orange; and upset the local grocers!!
These things are cool. Send me one!
No Cats, No Dogs, No Kids. I’d use it to entertain myself.
I would roll it around my office getting the dogs in the office to try to chase it.
Cat toy! Cat toy! Cat toy!
oh. i would be chasing the corgi and the baby around with it of course!
We have a dog at the office that likes to chase a laser dot and a R/C rat, this would be a HUGE upgrade for her!
I would roll it in the morning, roll it in the evening, roll it at supper time, I’d roll that little Sphero and be happy all the time. Come on sing along now!
I’d use it to make my FuzzBot better. :D
I would use it do get distract myself while doing my thesis :)
And my bunny would love it!
This would be a great addition to our middle school STEM classes.
I would give it to my teenager!
I would use it to make my own Indiana Jones sequence with lego characters where the huge ball of death rolls after you no matter where you run – even around corners!
I would use it to torture the cats & delight me!
The excitement of watching my 4 yr old and 2 yr old in amazement would be awesome.
Awesome — I’d use it to help inspire the kids on our grade school maker team.
i would teach it to tattoo!
Sounds like hours of fun with the kids and dog!
I would likely give it to my science geek husband or mother-in-law
Drive it down the stairs
team up wiht my cabnet maker friend and make mazes to drive it thru.
Great robotics platform for my son to have fun with!
3 kids, 1 ball. Should be fun :)
Our dog is blind, so no more tormenting her…my kids would have a blast with it, though!
I would use to keep cats away from the garden in the night.
I wonder if I could use this to somehow present a ring to my ladyfriend….
I would use it to make the guys at the Makerspace jealous and/or perhaps play around with the API.
Use it to play with the cat — she’s 15 and could use the exercise.
I would probably freak out my siblings with this… lol
i want one!
I have to say, I’m also torn between using it with my 6 & 7 year olds, or playing with our cats. Seems to be the popular choice!
I would try to use it for an alternative game of pool instead of using the cue and white ball.
If only it had a built-in laser pointer with which to torment cats….
Twofold: Show my nephew what you can do with programming and robotics since he loves all things mechanical. And then torment the cats with it.
Ah, what a way to get the three cats and two dogs all playing together in peace, love and Sphero happiness!
It will pull me across the tundra while I whip it from the comfort of my dog sled.
I would test its off road capabilities (I have a mile long dirt road) and Hack it to be controlled by Wii remote.
I’m sure we could use a Sphero at the Appleton Makerspace……
I would use Sphero to solve world hunger, create world peace and reverse global warming.
But before that I would just use Sphero to chase people around in the mall.
I would be rockin’ and a rollin’ and a whatnot
Roll it through paint and then steer it around to make pictures.
I would use it in the children’s room at the Mark Skinner Library and then hope to add more once I convince my library director. :)
I really need this for my daughter she is three now and loves robots. This might be enough to keep the passion going.
I would use it to scare ghosts, and I would also use it to scare my non-existent cat. Or, I’d use it to scare away the ghosts-of-cats-from-previous-owners-of-my-apartment.
At seven feet per second, I would use is as the starting point for my in home, cold-temperature, table top particle accelerator.
Robots!
I would wrap it in yarn and use it as a semi autonomous ball of yarn once that became tiresome i would naturally use it to create strange robot sphere paintings, failing that the addition of electro magnets would allow for some interesting fridge climbing. Perhaps as a tweet indicator bar graph stylus?
Would definitely need at least two so that we can can have races through obstacle courses we would build.
I want to use one to write things in the snow!
We’ll use it as an excuse to play outside.
I have no doubt that if I had a sphero, I’d either terrorize my cats or my coworkers. Probably the coworkers.
I’d leave my cts and my 11-year-old to decide amongst themselves!
I would test its child entertainment capabilities with my little boy.
I wouldn’t tell my wife about it and then have it continually move just outside of her peripheral vision. Can you link these things to make a mini-armada?
Play with it with family members – both humans and cats!
I’d use it to make some sort of rolling robot camera so I can take beautiful pictures during chicago winter while comfortably sitting in my car:) as u all may know, the winter in chicago is quite harsh, very VERY cold!!!! And slippery from the snow/ice. So the extra traction would totally pay off! I want one, thanks! Plus it may help pass around beer bottles on a flat surface?:)
I’d make a Sphero race track in my backyard
I’d love to play with this and show my kids how fun making can be!
Both of my kids would ADORE this! i have a 2 year old and a 10 year old, talk about some good fun!
I would scare the begeebies out of my dogs and film it!
Paired with a computer vision library object tracking becomes possible. It would be fun to use object tracking on multiple computers competing in a computer driven physical race course each Sphero computer operator running its own implementation of Artificial Intelligence to win the race.
I would use it to distract myself from studying for finals!
I’d call him Hermes and have him follow me around all day like the duck I had imprint on me once…
That thing looks like a blast! I’d truck that little thing all over NYC.
I would drive a dogs crazy with it!
Beginning robotics workshop at my local Makerspace!
Pair it with a micro controller and make a maze solving program.
I’ve got 3 small dogs, and my daughter that would chase and play with the ball, and I would enjoy driving them crazy with it. Or, toss it on a golf course and drive the holders crazy.
The practical joke possibilities are endless! I really want one!…
I’d roll it under the dinner table and drive everyone nuts.
First I’d play with my crazy cats…
I think I would likely use it more to show off to my friends than to play with regularly.
I would play pranks on my 5 and 7 year old kids, build a mini ramp and rail system for it and have heaps of fun!.
I’d have my boys build a lego minecraft scene and make them learn how to drive through it.
It’s like this was designed for people with cats. Or terriers. :-)
I’m pretty sure my dog would destroy it but assuming i could keep that from happening it would be a blast to cruise around the house for my son and cat.
Chase the dog!
I’d love to try all of the games paired with Sphero. I think it would be a great next step for my kids’ education in technology, hacking the game!
It’s not about what I would do with it but rather my six year old son.
My cat would love it. He needs the exercise.
When my dog tries to run away I’ll throw Sphero out in frot of him and watch him chase it back into the house.
My kids (and I) would love to have one of these!
I would demo the games for Sphero at work to keep kids entertained while parents are shopping.
I would use it in our STEAM Lab at my daughters preschool. Yes, we have a STEAM lab for 2-5 year olds and they LOVE it. They work on Raspberry Pi’s, conduct experiments and LOVE to watch things move! This would be a hue hit with the kids!! Please !?!?!?!?!
Play with my cats, all sixteen off them!
I would use it to make a soccer like game with other Spheros.
Work with my kids to help drive the cats nuts…
I’d chase people around the office with it.
Could be fun to build a snowman with!
I would play with it! :)
This is so cool! I would use this to wow my friends and coworkers as the ball magically roams around the office and apartment. Love the lighting effects!
See what my kids can come up with.
I wonder if I could use it to move something that usually doesn’t move (e.g. a trashcan, floor lamp, plush toy) and scare the hell out of passerby. hehehehe…
I would love to experiment with accessories for a spheroid, maybe a paddle wheel, propeller, etc.
I would show my daughter, and drive it around the house together.
I would control it remotely to follow my wife all day long, when I work from abroad.
Y’know, I still want to know how the new Sphero jumps…
I would scare my colleagues at work.
I’ll use it with a geocaching game. Let the fun begin!
Cheers,
Will
Most of my maker activity is focused on music making, so I would build a circular glockenspeil for it to roll around in.
I would simply give it to my 6 Year old and let him conquer the world with it! :)
I would use it to play with my pets!
Teach a four year old about electronics, and to run him around so he’ll nap!
My 3year old daughter will go crazy over this.
I would use it to herd dancers during one of our dance events.
http://dragonseye.com/blog/irish-dance-in-dfw/
I might also use it to scare the musicians when they play too fast.
I’d play with my niece’s.
I don’t have any sons so I miss out on a lot of the cool toys. I would make a marble run track and amaze people, who don’t know about sphero, by seemingly breaking the laws of physics.
I’ll play a little pong with my cat
I would use this for pretty much everything. I’ve been waiting for the perfect little robot buddy, and this looks like it! I really like how Sphero has multiple applications like being a controller, RC toy, light, etc.
this is obviously for messing with my doggie
I would take it apart and figure out how it works!
It seems ideal for sifting flour, washing salad greens, frothing milk for lattés, and countless other thankless kitchen tasks. With some upgrades it could also be useful for mixing pancake batter or grinding spices (in large quantities, as for pickling). I look forward to introducing Sphero into my cooking! (Sphero-sous? Souspho?)
Okay, first my kids and I would play/invent/explore…then my students would get to be creative with it…and then for sure it would end up in my husband’s middle school science classroom. It would definitely be enjoyed by many children!
I live on a farm with 4 cats, 5 dogs and a teenager. It would be sooooo much fun to watch!!
As a device to connect our hackerspace with the community, I’d build a contest around it challenging our members to build elements of a Sphero obstacle course. Then, during next year’s Fresno Mini Maker Faire, turn the public loose on it.
I would drive my 4 year old daughter crazy. Like a cat chasing a laser pointer.
And I thought the dog tormenting my three cats was entertaining!
Use it to push office supplies to me using a rig or something, sort of like a pack mule. Also find its capabilities in parkour, mid air, and on a trampoline.
I’d put it on display as part of my robotics club in college. We could always use something good to show off to a crowd!
I should teach my dog to swim. Or buy another one and play with my son.
Chase my dog and cat with it. Bug coworkers.
Greatest pool table trick ever!
i would be racing them on my kids hot wheel track, and i really would like to see them going in a oval bowl of some sorts.
Entertain the cats, of course.
I have two kids, 5 and 7 who are getting into robotics and programming. Would love to see what kind of control we could hack onto this.
Plus, torture the cats of course.
First: annoy the girlfriend then use the long floors at the university :)
We would use it to tease our puppy and have some fun with it!
I would definitely use it for some great fun and games with both the kids and family pets!
Giant real world pong.
I would love a Sphero! And not to just torture animals. He would be my sidekick and go with me everywhere. I’d try to figure out a way to implement voice recognition so I could talk to him like Siri and he could reply with answers.
I would use it to play with my pets!
My 8 year old just spent 45 minutes at the game store LOVING this. And it was right next to the Sifteo cubes that he used to want… now he has a new favorite. He had already visited Santa but insisted on going back so he could ask Santa for a Sphero.
I love that there are both high-level macros and a BASIC-like interface for programming. He does Scratch but wants to get into robotics and other programming. This completely fun platform will give him every incentive to just keep fooling around with different kinds of code — perfect for the young kids out there. Plus, dear old dad just loves programming up some fancy stuff too. I didn’t glean from the store demo that there were multi-player modes, but playing with game development would be great fun for us older kids as well.
I would give to my 11-year old daughter to get her interested on robots and programming!
I’m a graduate student and this will definitely help me deal with my anxieties. :) I’d love to play with it.
I love this, It would allow play time for myself and son who is into technology, great way for merging tech and outdoors, not mention fun!
I’d wait patiently for the kids to let me have a turn.
Definitely amuse my dogs… but maybe also my coworkers! Looks awesome.
I would teach it to sing and find it a job as a roving troubadour.
4 cats and a 4mo old…
Not sure yet. They look like fun.
Roll it!
I will use it to torment my wife’s cat. As far as I can tell, as a grown man, a cat’s only purpose in life is torment, either giving or receiving.
i will drive my roomates dog crazy therefor will make my roomate crazy then he will be taken to the asylum and i will have the place for my own to make a party!
This would be the best Christmas gift for my cat meow ..she would love it
I would torment my younger brothers and dog. And my friends. And everyone else, too.
It would be awesome to have one of these!!!!!!
My disabled 4 yr old son, Brayden, could use this during therapy to help develop fine motor skills and would be so fun to watch his face light up with excitement!
I would give it to my husband as a gift. he is a remote control wizard, and would find endless uses! Then I would have to get my own, so we could play together, try every app, and endlessly entertain our kitties.
I’ll be honest…I will torment my friend’s cats. 8-)
I would use it with my son’s robotic team and Cub Scout Den.
They love anything robotic – especially when you can play games with it.
My children would love, love love these!
Saw the earlier versions of this on Tested.com – looks like a lot of fun!
My 5yo daughter loves my Sphero 1 and I’d love to add the Sphero 2 to our collection so we can race!
I would walk it across the Bay Bridge.
I’m a tech-promoting teen services librarian and I know my Tweens would LOVE playing with this!
My two sons would love this.
This would be so awesome for my eight year old daughter to play with. She is really into robotics and loves science, with this I think it will spur her on to learn more about it and make for some great memories in the future.
I would donate this to my students in St. Louis. I’m sure they would have a blast programming it!
Just having fun!
Re-enact the NES video game Marble Madness
I would love to get my hands on one. My daughter has become fascinated with robotics, and I need to play “catch up” on the technology.
I will use to to save the world. How? uh uh uh Spoilers.
I would certainly give it to my 9 year old grandson (and his father). I’m trying to get my grandson excited about MAKE.
I don’t know if my cat would like it (she might), but my 2-year old niece sure the heck would. As would my young cousins.
I would hope that exposing my kids to a Sphero would generate an interest in robotics and they would learn something that will help them in the future. But who am I kidding? We just got a new puppy. That pups going to be chasing Sphero for days.
I would roll it around on the floor for my dogs to chase.
We have 5 spaniels and a kitten. It would be a robot pet toy. I am also interested in how it might be modified and what sensors can be used.
This would be great with my youngest son. Also to introduce him to this sort of robotics would be great. i think that you could also use this stuff in your holiday seasons for stuff.
I would use it as a teaching tool in my physics class……nah, probably would just play with it with my own kids at home!
I would see how well it can stand up to the outdoors and multiple animals! Fun stuff!!
I would use the Sphero 2.0 to help me work on my Sphero Web API. I am currently developing an API for browsers (Chrome Apps, specifically) that allows any Sphero to be controlled via JavaScript using Chrome’s Bluetooth API.
I’ll drive it around the world annoying animals and people alike everywhere I go!
I’d play with it, then take it apart and then take it apart to see how it works
I’d like to put a cover over it like cup or cone and attach a rat-like tail sticking out of the cover bottom like a rat trapped inside and put it on the floor at the mall and freak out people – they’d be afraid to uncover it.
I would love to use this thing! It looks almost like the mechanical pool ball from get smart
Strange how this has so many more comments than most.
I *might* let my 2 year old play with it. Nah – probably not.
I would show it off to all my friends and talk them into buying one too!
I’m wanting to build and obstacle course to try this out on. And I think the kids and dog would love it as well.
I would probably give it to one of my nephews… after I play with it all month before christmas.
My 6YO would love it!
Kids would love to chase it around!
My son would think this is the coolest thing in the world. I think I’d agree…
I would use it to teach my students about randomly generated abstract art. We would dip it in paint and then make paintings with it.
I would love to have this for my twin niece and nephew!
I’d run it through the rat maze a work, use it as a cat toy, and play with it with my kids.
I’d use it to torment the cats, dogs, and rabbits that run around the house.
I would love to teach robotics and coding to my grandson using the updated version of the Sphero. A great way to bond and educate while having fun!
I’d build a series of ramps connecting my upstairs to my downstairs using PVC downspout with the face cut off. Then I’d play with it as much as possible before inevitably handing it over to my kids.
Mine will go to my 2 year old daughter. She loves dancing with her Keepon, and I think she’d love Sphero even more!
My wonderful grandson would love this!! Thank you for the chance.
Although my cats would really enjoy playing with it, I think I would also put something like a rag around and use it to clean under the couch and shelves.
It will also be send through some kinds of labyrinths. Even perhaps with some kind of ECG/EKG device on the Android phone to pilot it via mind control…. there are so many possibilities :D
What better way to teach your kids to code than letting the result torment the cats?
Terrify my enemies.
I would take it “off-roading” and test the limits of the Nubby cover!
I would like to see how my boys interact with it and help make it easier and better by offering up feedback. My thought is that the application of this technology is amazing and would also just like to play with it because its like a cool toy and im a 34 year old geek being young at heart.
I have neither cat, nor dog, nor child at home. So I have to find a way to amuse myself!
Actually, I am thinking some sort of Twitter interface that would roll the Sphero in certain directions based on the tweet. It could get a workout on my pool table.
Another cool idea would be for it to go to certain offices based on Tweets. @Carl tweets #ComeHere, and it would roll of to Carl’s office.
I would love to give one to my 4 year old niece, to get her interested in robotics! I’ve loved my Sphero 1.0, so I know she’d get a kick out of the faster model :)
I’d write an app to use its collision detection to map the floors of my house.
They had a number of these at Microsoft Build 2013. I completed 5+ of the developer challenges, but they were already out of Sphero’s and a number of the other goodies so I ended up with a Clocky. I would use the Sphero to test out my original ideas like dropping it in a body of water and driving it around… as well as creating a Spark Core (WiFi Arduino) powered custom remote control.
Definitely have to chase the dog and the 2 yr old around. Then the 2 yr old would probably chase me around.
I’d use it to help teach my pup flyball!
give it to my neice and nephew for Christmas
I’d use it to get kids excited about computer science at the University of Victoria’s SPARCS after school club!
Is there an API for it? Line following via remote control from a laptop running some image processing software (Processing)? Or… Ya know… Play with it.
Playing with!
Gonna Have some fun with the little cute cats around my house :)
Obviously the only thing I can do with this is to freak out my conspiracy theorist neighbours!
I would play different games with my three year old daughter! Looks like it has some potential to be a great learning tool!
After watching the video, the first thing I think my boys and I would do is build a monster obstacle course and see who can finish with the best time.
My high school robotics and engineering classes attract the techno-geeks. THIS is just the kind of thing that will attract and engage that demographic who says “robotics isn’t my thing”. Perfect for introducing a broader spectrum of high school girls and non-techie types to the fun side of engineering.
My dog would love this thing, and I could control it from the comfort of my sofa without having to get up.
I want to play with this! I bet my cat would love it!
Hopefully I would be able to use Spheroid 2.0 to help kids learn interactivity and physical coordination. Looks like a wonderful tool to develop real time coordination skills that are impacted with true physics!
I would give it to my 14 year old niece. She has the aptitude to be a maker and I would like to encourage that.
I would hack the app, control with an arduino or raspberry pi and most of all, show of my awesome awesomeness! :)
i want to roll one , cat would love it too
I would give it to my 7 year old, who is in a Robotics class through his school. He made his first robot out of VCR parts. He would LOVE this!!!
I want to put a Sphero into a beach ball and run it across a lake!
I would really like to make my own board games which would include sphero!
I teach middle school and would love to be able to show this to my Exploring Technolgy classes!
This sounds great! Maybe you could 3D print or mold some bearings for them and put them on a chassis. , maybe mount a video camera or a small toolbox or a drinks dispenser or a down-facing vacuum. And then of course right an iPhone script for it and there you have it a completely omnidirectional self maneuvering and useful servant, the first of many which you will use to make your own private army.
Well, honestly, I’d give it to one of my kids for Christmas. And then, almost certainly, I would trip over it a few days later.
I have a robotics team and would love to see the kids investigate with it.
I will start an all-ages sphero hockey league in my town.
I would love to see if I could find a way to mount a camera inside a clear shell and use it as the perfect tossable camera for Law Enforcement.
I would attach speakers and LED’s and boom… instant party. Cause really, once you have a loud, brightly colored, remote controlled sphere, ANYTHING can happen.
Psst…. It’s jane again…. Clarification of previous comment: When I say anything can happen, I mean ANYTHING can happen, take any idea, and add rainbow lights and speakers…. Think about it……………………
I’d use it in so many different ways: inspire the kids in robotics, play with the baby, find a way to awe students using it in a visual illustration … or just play with it myself (and perhaps annoy my wife with it)
I would love a toy such as this. Haven’t had anything new like this in years. Oh please let me win…I promise to share the fun with my cats!
This would be the perfect thing with which to annoy my coworkers. Screwing with people’s minds is the only job perk I get and dammit I refuse to give that up!
My boys have had a lot of fun with their sphero, but they have fought over it a lot. Another would settle it.
I would definitely show it off to all my friends via FB and in person. Possibly, get a YouTube video series going. Then perhaps a short movie?
I would use it to pester our dog. Heck, it would probably terrify her, but it would make the kids laugh so it would be worth it :)
Start Phase II of my World Domination Plan …
I love the idea of tele-control. Shpero is supercool to begin with. I have more evil plans.
I want to just explore this thing and find out more about it! My 4yo would LOVE the techie part of it, my 4mo old and kitties would just be entertained and my husband and I would just nerd over it. Love!
I would take it and mess with my cat or take with me, when I fish, to the water
I would use it to form real world relationships instead of just pretending to live on the internet.
I would take it to my friends cat and dog shelter so all 4 legged little friend’s can have some real fun in there day’s spent there!!
I would love to work on AI aspects with the Sphero 2.0.
Total. Global. Domination.
I’d let the kids have at it and tell them to use their imagination.
If I had a Sphero 2.0, I would have loads of fun. I could bring it to school, use it to scare friends, and much more. If only I had one…
I would give it to my son, who askd for one for Chrstmas. Then MAYBE he’d let me play with it… :)
I would catch some air at the skatepark!
I would use it to open a whole new world to my 7th grade science students here at Lange Middle School in Columbia, MO.
I am a library media specialist – I would use it in my library & keep students on their toes!
Would be utilized for scientific demonstrations of physics (and a little zipping around the office)
I would interface it with a rasberrypi, camera, and pythons to have it move on command – approaching cat, human, etc. A sphere that doesn’t want to be caught!
I would like to play music by driving it across the organ keyboard in a geometric series of steps, rolling over our drum set, perhaps driving back and forth over guitar strings… The possibilities are endless.
Would definitely be used to keep my kids loving technology.
I’d play around with it, and maybe bring it with me on walks. It’s be interesting to see how it worked, too.
I’d use it to help with robotics outreach and let kids play with it!
This would be fun to play with my cat
Chicks, man. I’d use it to pick up chicks. ‘Cause nothing says “I’m available” like a grown man sitting in a bar controlling a glowing orb with his iPhone. Seriously… that’s what I’d do.
I would love this! For my own entertainment and for the kids! And I would really try to find a real world use of this gadget! Ah would be perfect
Probably end up as cat toy. Would also get the kids into robots.
I would probably try and mount the sphero in a model ship, with propellers attached somehow. The sphero would act as the motor. Love Sphero!!
play play play
What else is there in life?
I would prank my friends and play with the cat.
I will use it to to build a robot package together with Raspberry Pi and compile it as a education package for kids.
drive it through mazes.
I would use it in Robotics club
I would use it around my school to scare/help people.
I would give it to my 10year old daughter Eavan! She lives with her mother and gets NO exposure there to STEM. Whenever she is with me, I do my best to work with her imagination, creativity and get her interested in STEM. I have help from the engineers I work with, (esp the female engineer I work with – THANKS AC!) to get her interested. This might just be the thing that gets her interested. Legos and Mindstorm are a start, but something like this would be super cool!
I would make it my minion and together we would rule the universe! Or maybe I’d just play with it.
I would use it to take over the world.
I’ve just moved into a new house. With one I can:
Test the pipes
Torture the cats by rolling around the wall cavity
Simulate ghosts in the attic and freak out guests
Find gaps in the fence
Use it as a measure to know when I need to mow the lawn
Attach a tail and see if I can attract some local birds of prey
Chase the cats through their cat run
Race it to the nearby beach
Then at the beach use it as a night time fishing lure
Then build a giant Rube Goldberg machine out of all the left over building materials to keep it busy while I’m sleeping…
I would make it do trick around the house. Set up a course of pots and pans and have it climb and move around kitchen supply and make loops and twists. Then I would make a course around my whole house.
Walk it to school :)
Hmmm try it out in a hamster wheel to see how fast you can spin it?
A new way to play labyrinth ! Happy Thanksgiving everyone
I would put a sheet over it and make people think it was a tiny ghost in my house.
Raspberrypi and bluetooth module paired up to guard the christmas presents under the tree
I would hack it to see what’s inside and then I might hook it up to an Arduino to see what would happen then.
Have it direct guests to the bathroom whenever they come over.
I would use it to bug my wife, and entertain my 1 year old puppy!
i’m going to have to go with torment the dog.
I would teach my son to chase our cats with it.
Try out my programming skills I learned from my AP Computer Science class and make cool apps for it!
I’m sure my ferrets would love to chase it around!
I’d probably launch it off a catapult.
I would print out all these comments, and make a race course and drove back and fourth over everyone else’s comments. Then I would fold some into cubes and others into walls and ramps and tunells, and drive around the obstacle course. Then I would tape them together and make hanging bridges from the table to the counter and drive the sphere 2.0 over the bridges. The whole time admiring everyone else’s equally yearning comments. I would make vines and post beautiful loops of the sphere 2.0 dodging everyone else’s aspirations as it came to me.
I would use it in my physics classroom! Or maybe computer science class?
I have a high energy cat, and even higher energy siblings! Many circles would be made!
A gift for the brother who has everything (except this)!
i would definitely mess with my dog and just play with it myself!
I would take it to the pool hall and freak out some of the more inebriated patrons with my trick shots.
I would have fun with my grandkids, new puppy and older dog.
I would use it to inspire and excite preschoolers with developmental disabilities.
I have wanted sphero since it came out, it really looks like endless fun. I would use it the way it’s intended, for pure fun! Seems like a lot of fun if your playing around with it or playing a game with a group of friends. Both myself, my family, and friends would love this!
I’m sure my dog would get a kick out of it too;)
I would have students play with it while learning how to program.
Make my kids’ Christmas!
I would have a pet that wouldn’t have to been fed and be let out to go to the bathroom.
I would scare my kids when they sneak out of bed at night.
Drive the pets crazy, and play with upcoming baby. I’m sure more interesting things will come once I have it in my hands to see what it can do..
Would love to hack it so can be used in occupational therapy with some of the wounded warriors.
This would make the perfect sibling and pet companion/harasser.
I would give it to my Dad as a holiday gift. Last year my brother-in-law gave him an RC helicopter, which he loved. I think he would love a Sphero even more.
I have a house full of kids that would love this.
I have a dog and a cat, enough said!
These will become the cornerstone of my court jester act once DARPA’s Atlas bots attain sentience and enslave us all.
I would use in in my begining arduino and Raspberry Pi class I’m going to teach.
I will use it in my STEAM Up library program at the Guadalupe Library.
These would keep my toddler busy for a good bit!
Wake up the 4yr old
Cat toy, of course.
I have a one year old and two Tweens. Need I say more?
Oh yeah. Kittehz!
obviously it’s ideal use is tormenting and taunting pets and/or small children… and that’s just what I would do
Like everyone else, torment the kids/pets :)
i am a 9 year old boy and am very into computers and gizmos. if i get one of these, i could learn more about programming and robots.
Work with a team of kids to design the most epic Rube Goldberg maze machine and try to direct Sphero out through an assortment of traps, trails, and turns!
Definitely will use it for cat torture, I mean, er, play. I’m guessing also that my 5 year old niece would be absolutely delighted to play with me and teh kitteh.
i would teach it how to swim race
i would probably play “The Rolling Dead” or “Dark Nebula” ;) :D
I would sooooo have precision races! Maybe integrate a jet module and perhaps make it fly. Turn it into a personailty core from Portal. Maybe even turn it into a personally rolli polli olli!
Two kids, one tech savvy dad – I imagine lots of ‘daddy plz’ and ‘let them play!’. But we can’t wait :)
I will use it to pace myself as I roll away from the Thanksgiving dinner table.
I would play games with my nieces and nephews. And, I can think of a few lessons to teach where this could be used too. I wish I had this a few years ago. My late girl friend had a monkey for a service animal. We would have had so much fun.
Duh! I would take it off some sweet jumps! Then I would amaze my two dogs with my awesome driving skills.
I’m thinking I’d have to use this to terrorize the cats and amuse the toddler. Oh, and um.. education, you know for the children.
I’d program it and make cool creative videos in water and on land with my sister’s camera. I don’t mean to be sadistic or anything but my cousins’ cats wouldn’t mind being terrorised…
See if I can get my two cats to fight over it. If its waterproof, see what it would do out on the water. maybe I can stop casting and use this as a bobber to send my line anywhere I want.
I’d love to have one of these to amuse my kids and torment my wife. I think it would drive her nuts, LMAO.
I’m a teacher at elementary school, and a cat owner. I see lots of possibilities! ;)
I would simply LOVE a sphero and I would show it to all of my friends. I also have a puppie Yorkshire and I’m shire he would also like playing with it. I hope I’m lucky this time :)
I hope my wife will stop playing with boring ipad’s game for playing with this amazing ball ;-)
Hi….
Like I don’t already torment the cat already…….. 3:)
Hi,
Thank you very much for the challenge …
I have to admit that i would really like playing keels with my children … and also , more personnaly i would like to try to take long exposure photography (light graffity).
Thank you very much
Have a nice day
I would use it to cyber-play with my cats and kids.
I’ll give this as a present to my little cousin. He have the left arm nerves damaged from birth. He is clever, curious and I found myself surprised thinking how young is. He never act like a child with one useful arm, never asking for help, he make everything on his way. Also he love playing videogame with his sister and have two cats.
I think it’s a gift that he will like a lot… and I never see any Sphero here in Italy, so my cousin will be original and trandy (because I think he never have to hide himself, but surely I know he don’t). So he don’t deserve pity, he need to discover how clever he is and teach himself to be more creative, that’s all I hope.
I would love to use it with my favourite synth app, Shape Synth.
I would love a Sphero!
I will definitly figure something out to use it differently than what the marketing department suggests!
I would go to my local lawn bowls & replace the jack with sphero. I think it would be fun to see what happens when the jack suddenly moves. (I know people who do lawn bowls, I wouldn’t do it to some random people)
I would automate it to follow me around the house like my little minion!
My wife just LOVES when I bounce Sphero 1.0 off her feet and harrass her when she comes home from work, is making something to eat, or is just trying to get some peace and quiet. Sphero 2.0 — you will bring joy and happiness to my marriage! ;-)
I am an educator, robotics coach, and boundary pusher to get more coding, robotics, and hackerspace into our middle school. With Sphero I would have students develop an obstacle course in our classroom, host competitions and then have them try to develop a robot to beat Sphero on the same course. So many possibilities when you combine nerdiness, students, and coffee!
I think it would be awesome to show this technology to my kids!
I would torment my dogs
I would follow my wife around just to tease her. It’d be like having a tiny, round, robotic kitten. Perfect since she’s allergic to cats.
I would love to say all the things I would do with it, but I have three kids, so the chances of me getting time with it are slim to none.
I would definetily drive my cats crazy with this toy!
I’d plan to use it in dark hallways so that I can walk to the washroom during the night without turning on all the lights! Maybe a pre-programmed guidance route? Overkill, I know…
I would stare at it in amazement just like that guy in the video. Then I would find a way to test just how pet proof it is.
I would exercise (torment) my newly adopted dog, two cats and 2 year old son. This would be quite the step up from the laser pointer.
I’d love to chase the cat around the house with one. :)
My cats would be simultaneously riveted and repulsed, bored and fascinated, obsessed and revolted by this ‘thing’.
Yes please.
Play with our two kitties, my guinea pigs would probably like to chace it around. Our puppy would LOVE to play with this awesome ball! And I would build a race track for it!!
I’ll use it to teach my kids about programming and motion control which is both stimulating and educational.
I would teach my Sphero tricks, and it would perform the different ones based on how much traffic my website gets.
I would build a huge obstacle course and race it with my friends, and show it off so they would have to get one.
Even if i don’t win(which Is very likley I wont) I will save up so i can buy one for myself so I can teach my six year old sister, and play around with my three year old brother. I would also buy one for my autistic cousin so I can teach him and help inprove his problem solving when he is in a tough situations.
Inspire my students to get involved with robots.
I would probably look at its hackability. However, I also have a pet bird who loves anything that lights up or moves. I figure this would be the best thing ever in his opinion.
I also have a cousin who’s just getting into electronics, who would probably find this pretty cool.
I’d drive it in the snow and chase my chickens with it, and then see how well it does on ice!
I would drive my cat and my brother crazy!
I’d play with it while walking the dog.. He’s a very small dog, and has gotten a pretty good local following. There are a lot of kids around here on the 1/2 mile of each of the 3 walks he get’s per night,.. There’s also local cats galore, on a road that doesn’t have much vehicular traffic. I’d love to take it over sweet jumps in the late evening, with the lights going.. Just get it outside and see how various things, like cats, dogs, kids, etc, react to it, and see what kind of cool stuff I can program/control it to do.
I’m sure at least one of my own two cats would play with it; he’s attracted to toys like balls, especially if they roll oddly, or change direction on the edge of the rug or something, but he never actually plays with them.. just likes to ambush it, runs up to sniff it and then wanders off unless you keep nudging it for him.. This would actually be ideal for him. The other one goes after anything that moves, so I know they’d get some play out of it too.
I would write an app where my kids could build a castle out of blocks in 2 end zones. Place Sphero in the centre, then each kid could take turns inputting a direction (0-360 or maybe “17 degrees NNW”) and distance (or maybe running time). If Sphero went out of bounds, the kid would miss a turn. If Sphero knocked down the opposing tower, the kid wins.
Would be great to have it tag along with me on runs at night! I run barefoot, it might help avoid obstacles!
I would use it to “torment” the dog.
I would use it to play with the dog. She loves stuff like this rc cars, flashlights, laser pointers and because I have arthritis I can’t play tug of war (her favorite game)
with her,
I would definitely scare the crap out of my brothers… I have 3.
AFTER WATCHED THE TRAILER, IS AWESOME I AM GOING TO SEND EMAILS TO MY FRIENDS AND CALL THEM TO MAKE THEM TO BUY ONE OF THOSE SPHERO, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THOSE TERRIFIC OBSTACLES COURSE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT IDEAS ARE GOING TO COME. MAY BE WE VIDEO AND POST OURS TO YOUTUBE.
im sure my 3 young kids love this amazing ball :D, i hope to win one!!
Not sure who would have more fun with this, me or my 4-year old… But I do know we’d have a great time finding out!
Play with my dog.
scare my brother’s rabbit :P and have fun in general
I would love to have two, then do Sphero races around my house with my kids.
You can put it in water??!?? that’s awesome. What wouldn’t I do with a sphero? I’d line up some minifig and do some awesome jumps. Bath time for my toddler would be much more fun. include it in an elaborate rube goldberg set up.
I would gladly entertain my 3 boys with it!
My very own splinter cell technology.
I’d drive my dogs CRAZY.
Have a ball with my 2.75-year-old son. (No pun intended, but serendipitous-ly accepted with a smile nonetheless.)
Not sure exactly how the sphero works. If I cover it in double-sided tape, could I run it on the ceiling to get the pesky webs and dust from the upper corners? :-)
Torment my dog/kids. They love chasing balls, especially ones that light up. I can see this blowing my 1-year-old’s mind.
I would definitely use it to play with my dogs.
I would try to integrate it into campus orientation for new students by using it as a stand-in for a student during a recorded walkthrough of the Library. We’re always looking for ways to provide informative and also fun-to-watch video clips to use in orientation and like Library Instruction. And then I would take it home and play a bunch of goofy time-wasting games with it on my own. :-)
Oops, the end of that second sentence should have been, “…orientation and EVENTS like Library Instruction”.
I would teach my daughter’s hamster to run on it like a circus bear. :)
Best described by the Dr. Suess book title, “Oh the places you’ll go”
I’d give it to my husband to use to chase his UAV (quadcopter) as it flies around until it gets lost at the edge of the park :-)
My four year old daughter has taken an interest in robots recently, and I would use it to inspire her to continue her explorations.
I would program it for use as a controller my ArduCopter (rotating the ball spatially would control the motion of the ‘copter). And like everyone else said, I’d scare my cats and annoy my spouse.
OMG. What would I do? What wouldn’t I do would be easier to answer. This has so much potential I don’t know where to start. Kids, dogs, cats, friends at bar and me after everyone has gone to sleep.
because @sphero is the best and most playable, hackable toy, robot for my iOS devices!, and i want it!!!!
play with cats, naturally. and make a cover with brush hairs to paint on a big canvas.
Mark up another cat that’d love this.
Would like to own one so that I can scare the crap outta my neighbors ;)
First I would play around and explore a little bit and then open it up to learn how it’s made and what’s inside…as any maker would do! xD
I would make Christmas special for my 11 year-old inventor.
I would track it with a Kinect and let it follow / avoid people.
My twin 8 year old boys would use it to entertain our dogs.
I would have my son and cat entertained by one toy, which would make for an awesome holiday
Robots everywhere ;)
i would use it to entertain my familey on thanksgiving
Cats!
3 boys – I need a break!
Oh no did I see this too late? Would use it to help teach Robotics and computing to Boy Scouts in my town.
Fun! Fun! Fun! for me and my grandson.
I’d use it to entertain my cats and to freak out my guests.
I have 2 boys 6 & 9 and my 9 year old especially is excited about science and technology and I hope to help him keep that excitement going for him so he will strive to accomplish big things in his life. Fun and learning together is always the best! Thanks for the chance to win!
Chase my cat around with it.
take it camping!all terrain robot
I would make a little goat toy or hack it to fallow me.
I would freak out my dog and use it at my robotics team’s demos as entertainment for guests.
I would use it to annoy the cat or show it to my friends at school
I would build a Rube Goldberg machine with it or play a classic mouse in the fridge prank recorded for eternal enjoyment
A lot of my friends and I want to write our own apps for Sphero. We want to make an app that is like soccer. (You take many Spheros and choose a position like goalie or forward, etc. You take a red small ball and try to get it in to the other goal.) Just an idea.
We are in a group called GeekSchool that my Dad started to teach young kids how to code. (http://meetup.com/charlotte-geek-school)
We want to try our code on a robot and we all think Sphero is awesome.
(Plus it would be fun to use it to mess with my cat.)
Thank you for inventing this robot :).
I can imagine controlling the sphero directly to my three boys on Christmas morning from beneath the tree – only to be attacked by our cat.
I would try to use the Sphero API to make it follow my quad copter around and run into stuff!
I would use it to show our teachers (and students!) the fun side of STEM!
I think my dog would love chasing this around the lounge! It would certainly give him exercise on those stormy days when we can’t go outside.
It moves. It’s connected. It’s electronic. It’s hackin’ time!
I would unbore myself. Or scare the people in my house. Or most likely take it apart to make a sturdier shell
I will hide it carefully, until the children’s inevitable Christmas vacation “I’M BORED” lines begin.
They will not be bored for long.
Hallway slalom with Solo cups…..go!
Create a party package for social mixing in which people in a group are selected by one or more Spheros to do something, such as interacting with each other.
One example is a rental package of a few Spheros and a SW download that is run by the DJ/Emcee and contains several games for weddings, class reunions, parties, etc.
Here’s are a few ideas:
1) Men form a line, women form another line. A Spheros (blue or pink) rolls back and forth along each line and stops at a random person in the line. The man and woman Spheros selected have to dance to the next song, or tell a funny story about the bride or groom, or …
2) Similar to (1), but the dance is called the “Ball Dance” and the man and woman place each other’s Sphero in the middle of the dance floor. When the music starts, the Spheros shimmy and shake in unison, and the man and woman have to mimic its dance moves.
3) Similar to (2) but only the single guys are on the floor and the bride operates the software.
I have several more really good games but you get the idea.
I really need the Sphero so I can develop the software package and try it out at a Xmas or New Year’s party next month.
I will literally play with this every single day.
I would add this to my procrastination repertoire. Which, thinking about it now, would be terrible since finals are approaching. It’ll be fun over winter break still :)
Now two words. Sphero Parkour.
Very cool!
I would try to implement an application compatible with the Raspberry Pi for use in schools in the less fortunate areas of third-world countries. And play with it, too! :)
I would find a way to communicate with my dog.
just askin’ who’s the winner?
I use it in a Goldberg contraption, rolling over a carefully arranged array of dominoes.
I would use it in a Goldberg contraption, making it roll over carefully arranged dominoes.
I would like to play with it in a maze, and confuse my lab mouse in the maze too, so who could finish faster the puzzle.
Program it to make light drawings!
Amazing
I would just not put it down, games, races, all the uses of this awesome device would be at my fingertips and oh boy I would use them all, and probably a bunch of new ones too.
I would use it to teach math. Think LOGO
This is awesome! Sphero 2.0 looks like a great deal of fun and an even more promising educational tool! I love seeing and hearing about new innovations and cool iDeas to further student’s interest in STEM education. I work for a summer technology program that uses LEGO robotics, programming, etc. to engage and teach through hands on learning. The valuable skills students can learn through a tool like Sphero will pave the way towards success! Keep up the great work!
Id love to win a sphero!
I would use to tier dog and little sister :D
I would do everything with it! Race it around, do stunts, terrorize the cat, and so much more! It is awesome!
I have a great idea for my life with sphero. Trips, walks, the beach and much more!
I will make a ramp that goes from the roof to the yard below and into my house and other courses inside my home
I would use my sphero to get a little more exercise, play with my dogs, entertain family and friends, make courses, and many other things.
if i had a sphero i would make an obstacle course and have a contest to see who in my family could do it the fastest with the least amount of errors.