Robot Man's Sphero Indi Robots

Sphero Indi

Even though the Spherical versions of Sphero's have been around since 2011, the Sphero Indi was released in 2021.
They market them as being suitable for ages 4 and up, but I have found that kids that get the most out of them are aged 7-10.

They offer screenless learning (but an optional app is available)
In a nutshell, they are colour sensing cars that react differently when they run over and sense different coloured tiles.

What I like about them...

They are a simple, compact robot which means very little can go wrong with them.
They are relatively cheap to buy
They charge quickly via a USB-C cable.
They are easy to learn how to use, but can be challenging to master.
You don't need a device to use them.
Kids find them fun and engaging.

I purchased the charging case, which allows me to charge 8 at a time. Charge time is about 1.5 hours and for that you get just over an hour of continuous play.
Having said that...kids spend more time actually making paths with their coloured tiles than testing their creations, so I believe you can easily get a 90 minute lesson out of one charge.

There are two options when buying them; a home version with cardboard tiles and a Student kit with silicon tiles. I definitely recommend the STUDENT/SILICON version. More info on purchasing them here.

You do get a lot of paraphernalia.
Heaps of stickers and accessories. Personally... I avoided the stickers apart from using them to number my sphero cars and kits. I can see how they would be fun, but I like to plan activities that I can do over and over again, and there are only so many stickers!
The challenge cards are OK... but I made my own which I think are better!

At-Home kit

Student Kit (Recommended)

Lots of teachers would just let the kids plant tiles all over the floor, but I found a better solution. I use core-flute (which I purchased from a hardware store)
The pieces I got were 900mm x 1200mm
This a good size to make a grid of 6 x 8 squares.

I stuck some electrical tape around the edges, then measured and marked every 150mm around the edge to make 48, 150mm x 150mm squares. (6 rows of 8) The tiles sit nicely on top.
The advantages are:

It makes path prediction more accurate, especially for diagonal movement.
It keeps dirt and dust away from your tiles and your Indi.
It makes better use of classroom space.
Kids like it!

"Coreflute" (any thickness works)

If you don't have the ability to buy coreflute, you could always create a grid on the floor with masking tape.

My puzzles

I created some puzzles which have a pattern of tiles with one or two tiles missing, (replaced with a question mark) so the students need to work out which tiles to use fot the car to travel on every colour. On the back of each card is the solution. So kids can either try and solve it, or simply try to copy the solution. They still have to work out the exact position of each tile, and work out which way to face their Indi when it starts.
Of course I also let them make their own patterns, but the kids actually really like the booklets. I made the cards A5 in size so two can fit side-by-side on an A4 page. Then, after printing, I just folded the A4 page so the puzzle was on one side, and the solution was on the other. I then laminated each folded page.

Puzzle card- Which colours are missing?

Puzzle card solution. Can you copy this? Where do you start? Which way do you face?

Downloadable files for you to purchase:

40 pages of puzzles and solutions (like example above) VISIT MY MERCH STORE!

Photoshop File

Here is the photoshop file I used to make my cards. If you have a program that opens Photoshop files (.psd), you can make your own puzzles!

gridandtiles.psd
File Size:	46103 kb
File Type:	psd

Download File

Here are some individual tiles I made for you to download and use (including a question-mark tile)
j-pegs!

8colours_qm.zip
File Size:	1060 kb
File Type:	zip

Download File

plaingridforindi.jpg
File Size:	823 kb
File Type:	jpg

Download File

I added some instructions to my cases to remind students about how many tiles there are of each colour, and what they do. Printed, laminated and stuck inside cases...

case_inserts.pdf
File Size:	1696 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

I also made an A4 laminated sheet to remind students of the angles.
You could even just use this file to display on a TV as a reference for kids while they use their Indi's.

allanglesnew.pdf
File Size:	417 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Back-to-back printable arrows

These handy double-sided printouts allow students to place an image of their car on their "track" to see which way the indi will turn when it detects the four main colours for right-angles and diagonal turns.
If you print double-sided page, they line up perfectly. (Made for A4 page setting)