Darren QuickDecember 13, 201021st Century ball game: the smartphone-controllable Sphero

Rendering of Sphero, the smartphone-controllable ball

When it comes to toys there is none more basic than the humble ball. Depictions of ball games have been found on ancient Egyptian monuments, while ball games were also popular among the ancient Greeks and Romans. This enduring popularity has seen ball games remain popular the world over to the present day. We’ve seen a number of products that have brought modern technology to balls, such as the sOccket and Speedsensor. The latest to join the list is Sphero – a ball that can be controlled with a smartphone via Bluetooth.

Sphero, which was first unveiled as a prototype by Orbotix back in June, measures 74 mm (2.9 in) in diameter and is charged using an inductive charger. Once paired to an iOS or Android smartphone, it can be controlled by tilting your phone in the direction you want it to roll and opening up the ball to a whole new variety of interactive games.

Orbotrix has devised a number of games that can be played with Sphero, including navigating a maze laid out on the floor and a Sumo game, which is the first app developed for the ball. With it, two users can throw their balls on a table and try to knock each other off. The app also includes an onscreen component with online stats, profiles, damage and powerups. This provides the possibility for customized games where balls might sustain “damage” and roll slower, or a powerup could reverse the opponent’s controls for a few seconds.

Aside from the games Orbotrix plans to produce, it is also opening up the APIs for the ball to allow app developers with no hardware knowledge to build their own games or applications. Suggestions include a golf game where a swipe on the phone’s touchscreen acts as a hit to send the ball rolling around a course mapped out around the house or office, and a curling game where the player physically rolls the ball and then brushes the touchscreen to try and hit a target.

Orbotrix will be displaying the Sphero at CES 2011, so we’ll be sure take a closer look.

Via Oh Gizmo!

21世纪的球类运动：智能手机控制的Sphero

二十一世纪球游戏：智能手机控制的sphero

渲染下，智能手机控球

玩玩具的时候有没有更基本的不起眼的球。球类运动的描述已在古埃及遗迹的发现，而在古希腊人和罗马人的球类运动也很受欢迎。这种经久不衰的人气已经看到了世界各地的足球比赛至今仍很受欢迎。我们已经看到了一些，带来了现代科技球产品，如sOccket和速度。最新加入的列表是球–球可以通过蓝牙与智能手机控制。

球，这是首次推出一个原型的orbotix早在六月，措施74毫米（2.9英寸）直径和充电使用感应充电器。一旦配对的iOS或Android智能手机，它可以通过倾斜你的手机在你渴望的方向滚开放球到一个全新的各种互动游戏控制。

orbotrix已经制定了一个游戏，可以玩球，包括走迷宫放在地板上，相扑比赛，这是开发的球的第一个应用程序。有了它，用户可以把他们的球扔在一张桌子上，试着把对方的球打下来。该应用程序还包括一个屏幕组件在线统计、型材、损伤和道具。这提供了可能性的定制游戏，球会受到“伤害”，卷慢，或电能逆转对手的控制几秒钟。

除了游戏orbotrix计划生产，这也是开放的API允许应用程序开发者的球没有硬件知识来构建自己的游戏或应用程序。建议包括一个高尔夫游戏，在手机的触摸屏作为将球左右滚动过程映射出周围的房子或办公室打一拳和冰壶比赛，球员的身体滚动球然后刷触摸屏试图袭击目标。

orbotrix将显示球在CES 2011上，所以我们一定会仔细看看。