Introduction (Does It Do What It Should)

All right, it’s time to do one of those reviews that I have done before, but at the same time, give a new spin on it. In the case of Sphero, we like reviewing their STEM products, and we were pleased to review the RVR Plus once again, in combination with their Littlebits Topper Kit.

Our Review of the RVR+ Programmable Robot

Okay, just imagine that you shrank a tank, and then you were able to take control of it. That is the RVR in a nutshell, but it fits in a box that is, in fact, bigger than a nutshell.

Wow, not one of my better intros. So what exactly is the RVR? I’ve going to assume that it is pronounced like “rover”, because that is essentially what it is. Just imagine if some evil scientist used his shrink ray on a tank (complete with treads) and you could somehow take control of it.

There is an application from Sphero that allows the user to take control, but I have to admit that it has waaaaay too many layers to it. It does have a nifty supply of coding programs that allow you to learn from this. I’m guessing that this is designed for younger hands, as Sphero seems to have all kinds of curricula around the RVR+. However, if you want to just let it roam around the floor and change the lights, there’s an easy-to-learn app for that.

In fact, I didn’t realize that the RVR is very much like LEGO Mindstorms, which is a comparison that I have made before the last time I reviewed the RVR. The Mindstorms had these pieces that include a color sensor and accelerometer, and the RVR has those things and a light sensor, IR, magnetometer, and gyroscope.

You can see the video for more of this in action, and this would be the third video that I’ve done of this, really. Maybe I’ll just include all the vids of these, maybe.

Our Review of the littleBits RVR+ Topper Kit

Okay, I should probably just allude to the video to begin with, because I already allude to another product with the Blueprint as a topper to the RVR+. There is a special topper to the RVR+ that is made for the littleBits Topper Kit, and here’s the thing, I thought I had also reviewed that already.

Truth be told, I did review the a specific kit with the littleBits label, but something tells me, that this is different. I watched the littleBits video to see what was on it, and I was able to make something a lot like the RVR+ with some paper and some of the littleBits parts.

These littleBits are there individual pieces that are able to make all kinds of machines. Now, I really wish that I had a really good demonstration of this, but I had to admit that I was kind of stumped by the littleBits when I opened the package. I was hoping that I could make something, but I sort of ran out of time. I would definitely need a lot of time to make something that would be pretty cool and worth putting on video.

As it is, I really enjoyed seeing how to power these littleBits with a battery or USB cable. Then you can just magnetically lock these pieces together and make a lot of interesting stuff.

Honestly, this is one product that I would want to spend a lot of time with. The problem is, I really only have a few hours a week to create a video and article. Perhaps I might do more of this.

Facts About The Company

According to their “About Us” Sphero is here to have K-12 education with accessible tools to encourage exploration, imagination, and perseverance through STEM and computer science. Sphero helps educators all around the world to empower learners of all backgrounds and abilities to discover interests and passions to equip them with skills they need to become “changemakers”.

I hesitate to call Sphero’s products “toys”, but they certainly look as fun as toys. I mean, I have a list of products from them that I reviewed in the past, and I loved to review every one of them. In fact, I wished I had more time in my review for this particular product.

What Does This Company Make?

Oh, and then there is the Blueprint, which we covered before.

Well, there was that really cool Sphero RVR, which is a mobile roving vehicle that you can do a lot with.

Then there is this really cool littleBits Space Rover Inventor Kit, and there’s a lot that can be done with that.

Oh, and then there was this Sphero Indi, a car that can do quite a bit with some interesting programming tricks.

Like I said before, I believe that the most famous product is the Sphero Bolt, which even President Obama was caught playing with.

Just the Specs, Man

If you’re the type that needs this info, this section is for you!

I don’t really have any specs to report here, so I’m going to leave this blank, with the exception of the product dimensions: RVR+ robot: 7.24in (L) x 8.5in (W) x 4.5in (H)

If there is something on this that I didn’t cover, please let me know.

Okay, Get To The Unboxing Already!

Maybe I Want It, But Is There Anything Else Like It? Maybe For A Lower Price? Please?

I haven’t really seen any products similar to the Sphero RVR+, except the Bolt, also by Sphero.