Sphero (original) / Sphero 2.0 price & specs

Sphero, formerly Orbotix (USA) Sphero (original) / Sphero 2.0 (1)

Sphero, formerly Orbotix (USA) Sphero (original) / Sphero 2.0 (2)

Was $129.99 (Sphero 2.0)

Discontinued · used/leftover onlyPython from a laptopRobotic ballBluetooth ClassicorbBasicDiscontinued

Weeks+Shipping: Used only.

Remote control: Sphero 2.0 is listed as supported by the Sphero Edu desktop app. The original 1.0 is not. The unofficial spherov2 Python library also lists Sphero 2.0/SPRK.

LEARN MORE (Sphero legacy products) ↗

Overview

The product that started app-controlled robot toys, a sealed, inductively charged ball driven from a phone over Bluetooth, shown at CES 2011 by Orbotix (later renamed Sphero). It had an unusually open developer story for a toy, with mobile SDKs and the on-robot orbBasic language. Both 1.0 and 2.0 are discontinued. Used 2.0 and SPRK Edition units still work with Sphero Edu. 1.0 units do not.

Type: Rolling robot · Consumer & education
Maker: Sphero, formerly Orbotix (USA)
Released: 2011
Price: Was $129.99 (Sphero 2.0)
Status: Discontinued · used/leftover only
Best for: Ages 8+
Programming: Full SDK

Price and shipping

Original Sphero launched December 2011. Sphero 2.0 (August 2013) doubled the speed and brightened the LEDs. A clear-shell 'SPRK Edition' of 2.0 was sold to schools.

Shipping: Used only. Discontinued. Used units turn up on eBay. A replacement for Sphero 2.0 is Sphero BOLT.

Specifications

Category	Spherical & rolling · Consumer & education
Released	2011
Country	USA
Availability	Discontinued · used/leftover only
Sales	About 500,000 Sphero 1.0 and 2.0 units sold combined by 2014 (estimate) TechCrunch ↗
Programmability	Full SDK
Built-in autonomy	None / scripted · Moves only when controlled, or plays preset motions
LLM support	Possible via SDK · No built-in LLM. Its SDK lets software on a computer control it.
MuJoCo simulation	None found · Nothing found.
NVIDIA Isaac simulation	None found · Nothing found.
Gazebo simulation	None found · Only a generic sphere model exists, not an SPRK+ model.
Best for	Ages 8+ (maker rating)
Vision sensors	No vision sensors
Actuators	DC / gear motors
Audio	No audio
Compute type	Arduino / ESP32 / microcontroller
Remote control	Python from a laptop
Size	74 mm diameter, 168 g
Locomotion	Internal two-wheel drive cart rolling the sealed polycarbonate shell
Compute	75 MHz ARM Cortex-M4 (original)
Camera	None
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyroscope, two RGB LEDs
Runtime	About 1 h drive time per charge (inductive charging)
Speed	Up to 4.5 mph (about 2 m/s) for Sphero 2.0, the original was roughly half as fast
SDK	Official iOS/Android SDKs (Orbotix), orbBasic on-robot scripting, Macrolab, still supported by Sphero Edu (JavaScript/Python)

Common questions

How much does Sphero (original) / Sphero 2.0 cost?

It sold for $129.99 (Sphero 2.0). Original Sphero launched December 2011. Sphero 2.0 (August 2013) doubled the speed and brightened the LEDs. A clear-shell 'SPRK Edition' of 2.0 was sold to schools.

Can Sphero (original) / Sphero 2.0 be bought today?

It is discontinued, though used or leftover units still turn up. Discontinued. Used units turn up on eBay. A replacement for Sphero 2.0 is Sphero BOLT.