Available for £136.97 from Sphero.com
The Sphero Bolt is programmable rolling bot just like the BB8 we have reviewed recently. On early inspection and if it lives up the BB8 before it it will be packed with features and beloved by all the family but mainly the kids.
We have previously tested the Star Wars Bots but now Sphero goes back to basics and introduces us to this educational new bot the Sphero Bolt. This will give any child who wants to learn coding the perfect start.
The design of the Bolt is a transparent sphere full of sensors you might expect inside a phone. It has a colourful dot-matrix display which you will programme with the app. One thing I really like about the design is this bot will survive most things and with Kids, that is a blessing. The bolt can be handle being dropped in water and will not break if thrown around with force as some kids do.
The Sphero Bolt also comes with wireless charging using a charging cradle that houses the ball similar to the one on the BB8. Charging takes about 2 hours but time will fly when you’re setting up new programming projects for the Bolt to do once charged.
The main features of sphero bolt are firstly its a remote control toy for rolling around and using the app to control it very much like the BB8 before it. The second feature is the onboard sensors to control on-screen elements of the app. There are some games you can play such as the classic breakout game. The third feature is the educational element and this is how it steals the show with its capabilities it helps kids with a beginner-friendly coding app that lets you program the bolt to react according to information being sent to the sensors. The app also lets the commands translate to the base-level Javascript coding language which is how the app communicates with the bot.
Using the app could be programmed to do many moves after each other and flashing arrows on its display shows its corners or spinning on the spot as it collides with an object. The Bolts can be paired up with others so you have multiple bots connected meaning you can use it with friends or with a teacher if they are trying to teach basic coding?
The Sphero Bolt costs £136 and is a great buy for playing with or teaching kids basic Javascript. Granted the BB8 is a cheaper option but for what with the features you get with the bolt this is a great tool for the coding aspect and having them in a school is a great idea. You will only get as much out of this if you put the time in and this is not a bad thing as I have two young boys and this kept them entertained for ages.
Available for £136.97 from Sphero.com
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