It’s been a good week for rolling robots. Sphero, the robot ball you control with your smartphone, is expanding its reach and adding more apps that take advantage of its internal lighting and movement capabilities. Last week, Sphero maker Orbotix announced that it had launched internationally, offering Sphero in 95 countries outside the US, and that it would be “rolling out” two apps — Chromo and MacroLabs — to its iOS and Android stores starting sometime in April.
Sphero robot ball now shipping internationally, two new apps coming soon
Sphero, a smartphone-controlled robot ball, is now shipping outside the US, and two new apps that take advantage of its capabilities will be coming in April.
Sphero, a smartphone-controlled robot ball, is now shipping outside the US, and two new apps that take advantage of its capabilities will be coming in April.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Chromo, a memory game, flashes a series of colors and asks users to rotate the ball to match them. MacroLabs, the second app, is quite a bit cooler. It lets users program and save sequences of movements for multiple Spheros, turning the ball into a self-driving, color-changing robot. In the video below, it’s shown setting six balls to perform a choreographed routine, although we can’t really imagine someone spending nearly $800 to make a squad of Spheros dance.
The apps are free, but the ball will run you $129.99 in the US or $159.99 elsewhere. If you’re considering ordering internationally, Sphero is offering a 10 percent discount right now with the promo code “GETROLLING.”
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
