The Sphero RVR Is an Endlessly Customizable Robot

When it comes to robots, there are generally two options: ones that work right out of the box but aren’t all that customizable, and ones that can be customized but take time to get working. Sphero is changing that with their new RVR, which is just as much a standalone robot as it is a platform. The first thing you’ll notice about the RVR is that it looks like a cute little tank. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the fact that Sphero also made the BB-8 Droid and Bolt robot ball–if you’ve played with either, you know RVR is also going to be durable as hell. What makes this tiny tank so special? It has all-terrain capabilities because of the high torque motors and high gear ratios, which means it can tackle almost any terrain at high speed and is also accurate at low speeds. It’s just fun to drive around, and that’s before you get into the endless customizations. With an onboard expansion port and power, you can run third-party hardware (Raspberry Pi, Arduino, etc.) to turn it into anything you can dream up from a mobile weather station to a lawn mower.