I recently got my first Sphero and I have to admit as with any new product I was skeptical in the beginning. However just after few minutes of playing with it I had to admit – boy, this stuff really works and is  lots of fun !  Sphero is a simple ball (well, not so simple on the inside) robot that you can control via your tablet or phone via bluetooth (major devices supported). There are many available apps on the market besides the stock control app. It also has a nice SDK that allows to use Sphero for your own projects. Because it contains an IMU sensor inside, Sphero can be used as controller for a game or application.

Only few years ago Shpero was just a crazy idea. Now Ortobotix is a company with dozens of employees. As it happens with many new projects Sphero was not perfect from the start. At their lowest point the founders (Ian Bernstein and Adam Wilson) admit they were so depressed that they were contemplating to pull out of CES 2011 at the last moment. Then something magical happened and the team was able to sort out all problems making it a hit at 2011th CES ! Morale of the story – never give up!

To find out more about the Sphero’s success story read up here:  http://www.gosphero.com/tag/startup/ .  Sphero is available on Amazon and other retailers. Get yourself one, I guarantee it – it’s not just a toy but also a great research tool if you’re into electronics or robotics !

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