I have had the good fortune to review Ozobots a few times in the past. When I heard that there was a new Ozobot coming out I wanted to try this one as well. The Ozobot Bit was sent to us so that we could try it out, play with it and review it. Opinions are 100% my own. What truly sets the Ozobot Bit apart from the previous versions of the Ozobot is that you can program this Ozobot using a version of Google’s Blockly language called OzoBlockly. With Ozoblockly you can give the Ozobot Bit a set of instructions to follow to have it complete a series of maneuvers.

The Ozobot Bit can also work just like the previous Ozobots and it can read lines and follow them, execute commands that are color based and much more. I was excited about this toy because I want Eva to get interested in coding and learning some basics of programming because that will be important not only for her future job prospects but for right now to think about problem solving. The OzoBlockly site was great for showing her how to create a simple executable set of commands and then see what she programmed right away.

The OzoBlockly site was very easy to use. We used my iPad Mini to access the site. Eva could easily drag and drop lines of code onto the work area to start coding the Ozobot Bit. Once we were done creating the program loading it to the Ozobot Bit was simple. The Ozobot Bit is programmed with a series of lights. We simply placed the Ozobot Bit onto the screen and the program would load.

Our plan was to try and get the Ozobot Bit to travel along the works “BenSpark.com”. First we had to get the Ozobot Bit to the letter B. I drew a line below the word and then we programmed the Ozobot Bit to turn slightly to the right, then a full turn to the right. This was trial and error to get the Ozobot Bit to go exactly where we wanted it. Then we had it leave the line and travel straight until it found another line, the top line of the “B”. Then we had to either draw in some of the color coding that the Ozobot can read or we could then code additional commands. We did not end up getting the Ozobot Bit to travel the whole word but it was a fun learning experience none the less and it gave Eva and I time to talk about coding concepts and see the fun things we could do.

I think what we will do next is create a maze and see if we can program the Ozobot Bit to go through the maze.

WORLD’S SMALLEST PROGRAMMABLE ROBOT A HIT WITH KIDS, TECH GEEKS & EDUCATORS Headline-Making Ozobot Introduces Ozobot Bit Featuring Blockly Where Coding Comes To Life Redondo Beach, CA (July 27, 2015) — Ozobot Bit is a powerful tiny robot that gamifies STEM and computer science learning through a collection of game based activities and digital apps. Its easy-to-understand colorcode language makes Ozobot the perfect choice for introducing young minds to concepts that are vital to their success in the 21st century.

Ozobot Bit – Age 8+ – $59.99 – Exclusively sold on ozobot.com and amazon.com – Available NOW

Ozobot Bit takes the award-winning Ozobot robot to a whole new level of programming by giving users the power to fully control movement and behavior using its custom block-based programming editor, OzoBlockly (www.ozoblockly.com).

Powered by Google’s Blockly, OzoBlockly will feel very intuitive to the users of Scratch, Hopscotch, App Inventor, Tynker or Tickle App. Block-based programming is a virtual version of brick building toys. Assemble bricks of commands to build a pro-gram. This simplified visual programming language enables children to learn programming while learning how to think creatively, reason logically and work collaboratively.

OzoBlockly offers five modes from Novice with icon-based blocks to Master with loops, logic and other advanced programming concepts. Bit has some-thing for everyone!

The editor also provides the ability to create, save and load programs and games and easily share them with classmates, friends and the community.

Cool Features

• Program loading using light communication. No need for cables or Bluetooth – you can load your commands onto the robot through flashing lights!
• Built-in interactive reference guide, examples and challenges to get you started.
• JavaScript preview mode (coming soon). See your block-based program transform into JavaScript code.
• OzoBlockly works in most modern web browsers running on PCs, Mac OS X, Windows and Linux and iOS and Android tablets.

Building Confidence

Ozobot is an essential tool to break the “difficult/boring” stigma associated with learning computer science. Tiny and power-packed with innovative programming features, Ozobot empowers children to socially play and create, while learning valuable life skills.

Programming is not just for geeks, it’s for everyone. When your child learns to write, it’s not necessarily to become an author, it’s to be able to communicate. Learning how to program is learning the language of today’s tech world. It is an essential tool to build their confidence and prepare them to lead tomorrow’s businesses whether in medicine, engineering, arts, farming or manufacturing!

Ozobot offers free STEM/STREAM lesson plans and workshops (www.ozobot.com), providing teachers and parents a cutting edge educational tool that helps kids learn while playing. Download the apps and build custom maps, challenge friends to games of luck & strategy, and then program your Ozobot to dance or play your very own custom game!

Tiny and Power-Packed

Measuring slightly over an inch in diameter and height, Ozobot is one of the world’s most compact smart robots of its kind.

Ozobot uses twin micro-motors and a friction drivetrain designed to deliver a remarkably quiet and precise movement. The sensor array on the bottom of the robot allows it to scan its environment. Ozobot Bit can see colors, follow lines and detect intersections. And it does it as flawlessly on shapes you draw with regular markers on a piece of paper as it does on the digital screen of your tablet.

As Ozobot Bit navigates its environment, plays games and reads codes, the LEDs on its main board always provide colorful feedback. Ozobot loves to keep you engaged by communicating back to you using messages with cryptic blinks.

Ozobot Bit’s built-in LiPo battery is quickly rechargeable via a micro-USB port and delivers over an hour of continuous action on a single charge.

ABOUT EVOLLVE, INC.
Our journey began in the spring of 2012 with an idea of finding creative ways to engage young minds and prepare them to succeed in an evolving digital world. Technology is an essential component to daily living and is integrated in almost everything we use and consume. At its core is computer science, critical thinking and programming and we believe it is our responsibility to teach our kids to not just be users of technology but makers of it. We also believe that the best way to learn is to have fun, so we set out to create Ozobot, a robotic gaming ecosystem that promotes social interaction, computational thinking and confidence building through competitive play and interactive games. Since its launch, Ozobot has garnered over a dozen of top industry awards such as 2015 KAPi Awards, CES 2015 Editors’ Choice Awards, and the 2015 Brain Toy award.