Sphero RVR: The Innovative and Exciting Way to Explore the World of Robotics Education

Look no further than Sphero RVR if you want an all-terrain, highly programmable, infinitely-expandable robot. Sphero has built its latest robot to withstand harsh environments, and it offers both durability and programmability, making it a lot of fun to drive.

What is Sphero RVR?

Sphero RVR is the newest addition to Sphero’s line of high-quality robots designed for kids to drive and, more importantly, code. The robot comes with plenty of sensors to keep even the most skilled programmer busy for hours on end.

What sets RVR apart from its predecessors is the expansion ports on top, which include a USB port and a 4-Pin UART port. These two ports allow children and teachers to connect endless amounts of devices to expand RVR’s functionality. RVR enables support for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Microbit, and it empowers the creation of mobile projects using Littlebits by providing power through USB ports.

Ready Right Out of the Box

RVR allows you to start driving straight away. All you have to do is download the SpheroEdu app, which is highly user-friendly.

After you launch the app, it will begin searching for a Sphero robot to connect to. When you click RVR, it will connect in a few seconds.

Driving RVR around the living room is entertaining, but taking it outside and testing it in its intended conditions is much more fascinating.

Little Rover in the Grass

We were pleasantly delighted by RVR’s performance on various terrains when we took it for a test drive. It was most capable of pushing through tall grass and climbing modest slopes.

Once, some dead grass became entangled in one of the treads and began to fall off. But, removing the grass and reinstalling the tread was a breeze.

Nevertheless, we discovered that a lot of the dead grass went into the RVR, causing some issues.

RVR the Mountain Climber and Stuntman

Although RVR might not look that tough, it definitely is! We took the little rover up a mountain near our home to test if he could live up to the all-terrain description.

And for the most part, it did live up to expectations. It was a little slow going uphill, but we hit every rock, jump, and even a few trees, and RVR just brushed it off and kept going.

Coding and Expansions

RVR can be coded like most Sphero robots with the Edu app. The blocky coding language is a great introduction to coding for young and older children.

For more advanced users, the blocks can be switched out for JavaScript. The Sphero Edu app also has a ton of great tutorials and projects to get you started with coding and with RVR!

But what excited us the most about RVR was its expandability. With a USB port and UART port, RVR is compatible with Raspberry Pi, Microbit, and Arduino.

Although they are not plug-and-play, Sphero provides the necessary SDK files for each device. We love this Microbit project from Instructables!

Should You Buy Sphero RVR

At $279, RVR is not cheap. However, the build quality is second to none, and it gets great battery life for a rover of its size and weight.

Most importantly, it has endless potential when it comes to expandability. It’s more than just a toy.

Whether you are a kid or an adult, Sphero RVR can take robotics to the next level. Sphero just released the new RVR+. Check out our comparison review!