Sphero arrives in France with an augmented reality app!

Launched last year in the United States, the robotic ball remote controlled by smartphone finally arrives in France. And the good news is that it comes with an augmented reality application.

After the hamster, the beaver! After trying to launch a robotic hamster, the American company Orbotix announces the marketing in France of Sphero, a robotic ball remote controlled by smartphone.

Sold at 129 euros to the FNAC, Sphero should not only make it possible to drive any pet crazy but also to enjoy about twenty video games designed for it.

Among all these games, we note the presence of "Sharky the Beaver", an augmented reality game that consists in transforming your ball into a facetious beaver.

The French were already familiar with rabbits (Nabaztag / karotz), dinosaurs (roboraptor) or robotic dogs (aibo). From now on, the menagerie will have to be enlarged...

Sphero Augmented Reality: Sharky the Beaver from Sphero on Vimeo.

(Source: Gizmodo - 6 Dec 2012)

How does it work?

The Sphero is an amazing gadget: it's a remote-controlled ball that can be steered by an iOS or Android device via a Bluetooth connection. It is equipped with a gyroscope and an accelerometer that allow it to reproduce the routes requested by the user, through his mobile terminal. It can travel 90 cm in one second and has a range of 15 metres. It also has an integrated multicolour LED and a 60-minute autonomy. Recharging of the cordless sphere is done via an induction charging station.

The Ball. Evolved. from Sphero on Vimeo.

The interest of such a gadget can be found in the applications that are offered by Orbotix. Six apps are available, including a golf game, a program to use the ball's video sensor, an app for programming trajectories, and another for real-time control.

The possibilities of interaction with Sphero are infinite thanks to an open API. A nice gift idea!

{Jacuzzi on}