It's called Romo: the Smartphone Robot!
While Romo was largely designed to entertain you, if you look at what it is and what it does there are a number of educational opportunities here. Romo is a fully motorized, durable plastic base with tracks and gears that enable its movement. The base is controlled by an app that runs on your iPhone (sorry Android, that support it supposed to be in the works). The iPhone is connected via the headphone jack (which may be a little awkward given that they are on the bottom now - this picture is using an iPhone 3G) and delivers its commands through this interface. Simple plug-and-play! You can also control it via your iPad with your iPhone plugged in -- very cool stuff!
But the fun is in the missions that are included in the app. The missions allow students an entry-level method to get into robotics and how robots work that is different from LEGO MindStorms. The programming is simple, yet allows for a great deal of complexity in what you ask Romo to do. I think that this product has direct implications for grades 4-8, and maybe even some introduction to robotics courses in high school that might move on into LEGO MindStorms. Check it out!
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Bruce has worked in educational technology for over 18 years and has implemented several 1:1/BYOD programs. He also has served as a classroom teacher in Computer Science, History and English classes. Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel. Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!
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