Sphero EDU work

Sphero EDU work

                                         
For DTE this term we have started programming through basic javascript and block code with Sphero's edu app. The Sphero's are round circular balls that we enjoy playing with quite a lot. What you can do with them is definitely limited but there is still much creativity available such as using block or line code with variables to create a hot potato game with an object that would usually just be used for rolling around the place. Our assessment for this topic was to create additions to a game we have created through the basic block and javascript tutorials or make our own game.

My first plan was to do the Hot Potato game and change it to have periodic things that make it harder to catch or throw. I experimented around on javascript with the options available as well as on block code but unfortunately, I could not find a fun and interactive way to make multiple challenging "events" happen. Once I failed to implement my first idea I switched ideas around and instead tried to make a game like hot potatoe exept sometimes you would have to roll or answer a question instead of throwing it. This idea required quite a few variables making it much more of a challenge. However, I encountered a problem with getting the sphero to properly sense when it is being thrown. You do have an option that allows it to do this however I could not get it accurate enough to work at least 70% of the time.

I eventually had to scrap the rolling idea and instead make it either ask a question or be thrown. I had the timer variable set up and working and a system that would randomly select either a throw or a question. However, I was running out of time with about only 1 hour left and because of this, I could not finish this game I was planning. The things I still had to do but could not finish included setting up variables that chose random questions and (if possible) one that would get rid of a question from being able to be asked after being asked once. When a question would be chosen you would have x seconds depending on the round to answer it. There, of course, was no way for me to get the Sphero to recognize if you had gotten it right or wrong so it would be down to if the opponent listened well enough since the Sphero would answer itself after time ran out.

This period of time playing around and programming the Sphero have definitely been fun and interesting. I have experience with programming in Warcraft 3 which uses a unique code called JASS as well as gui for some stuff. Javascript I had not really experience with until now, it has definitely been good so far and I have started to learn some of the basics of this javascript. My only regret is not figuring out what I would do with the sphero and trying to think too outside the box. I should have done something smaller in scale yet I did not want to do something so "easy" yet I found out later on that these out of the box ideas were mostly impossible. The sphero is definitely a great thing for beginners in coding and can be a lot of fun.