Right away, I noticed that the Ozobot Bit is a small, spherical robot no bigger than a ping pong ball. I was skeptical, but couldn't help my expectation that it would turn out to be your average run-of-the-mill toy that simply moved forward and perhaps knew when to turn if an obstacle got in the way. As you might have guessed, I was surprised when I learned that its OzoBlockly software could actually command this tiny bot to execute a bunch of different actions on the spot—all the way from swerving to spinning and responding to color-coded cues!
I knew that the Ozobot was designed to teach the basics of coding and programming, but, let's just say I was astonished with how easy it turned out to be to make it move faster, slower or just stop depending on the commands I issued.It’s actually pretty amazing that this little robot has enough intelligence to change its course based on the color of the surface it’s on. Without wires or USB ports, I learned how to control the robot from my own computer screen. Excitedly, I opened the box, removed the two Ozobots from the packaging and set up the software at Ozoblockly.com.
After watching a brief and (might I add extremely helpful) tutorial, I figured out how to calibrate the Ozobot so it would be ready to respond to my commands. The Ozoblockly environment provides options for the different commands the Ozobot can recognize and respond to, ranging from timing to specific motions, including zig-zags, curves, spirals, and straight lines.This feature gave me a glimpse of what coding actually looks like. Fortunately, loading the data onto the Ozobot's is very straightforward—an amateur like me was very happy about just how simple it really was. All you need to do is hold down the power button and gently place it on the computer screen.
The Ozobot starts to glow in green and once the loading is done, it’s as simple as turning the robot off and then on again—ready to go just like that! The Ozobot really helps to make coding a lot simpler by providing easy-to-understand instructions in plain English. There aren't any patterns or complex dialogue—just a clear-cut dropdown box with an exciting list of options for beginners like myself. I came out of my robotics intro with a deeper understanding of coding. The Ozobot is a brilliant tool for keeping everything simple, especially for beginners.
It has a way of educating anyone on the basics of coding and robotics and, let me tell you, could definitely influence a few teachers and students to get involved in more STEM activities. Being in control is definitely a gratifying experience for the user, especially when realizing that the Ozobot is following and responding to self-generated code. For more cool technology intros, be sure to visit our store page to learn all about tools that enable circuitry, coding, engineering, and more!