By Andrew Liszewski
We’ve already expressed our excitement for Sphero, the smartphone controlled robotic ball, but at this point no one knows when we’ll actually be able to get our hands on one. And if you’re like us, and aren’t so great with the concept of waiting patiently, the Tama-Robo could be a half-decent alternative, if only because it’s available now.
It comes in a kit meaning there’s a bit of assembly required, but your $70 from the Japan Trend Shop, and a bit of hands-on labor, gets you a robot toy in a plastic sphere that’s able to autonomously follow a light source thanks to four sensors you’re probably not going to want to forget while putting it together. Tama-Robo doesn’t seem to be as refined as Sphero though. As you can see in the video included below it spends a lot of time just wobbling around while trying to follow the light, but like I already said it has the distinct advantage of being available right now, so we’re going to cut it a little slack.
