Best of What's New 2011

Gadgets

Orbotix Sphero

The best R/C toy ever

Gadgets 10 of 11

The smartphone-controlled Sphero combines two age-old favorites: the ball and the remote-control car. The three-inch orb rolls with consistent speed (about three feet per second) in any direction as a pair of motorized wheels in the ball push it forward or backward. When the driver signals a change in direction, the wheels rotate around an axis to shift course. Sphero communicates via Bluetooth with several iOS and Android apps, including a driving game and virtual golf. In development: freeze-tag and other multiplayer games for Sphero-on-Sphero combat. $130

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Tested

Because we've all been asking for it, Orbotix was nice enough to drop off one of their Sphero robotic balls (ball-shaped robots? Ball-bots? Spherical robots?) at PopSci HQ, and we've been playing with it (read: driving it into our boss's office and giggling) ever since. It's an alpha model, and Orbotix is making lots of tweaks to the product before it actually hits the market, but here are our impressions--and some video of the endearing little guy in action. Read more