What new sensors does BOLT have?
Sphero BOLT has many sensors that you can program interesting logic around in the Sphero Edu app. BOLT and all previous versions of Sphero have a gyroscope, accelerometer, and motor encoders. BOLT is unique with its light sensor, compass, and infrared sensors, which all add completely new ways to interact with Sphero!
Light Sensor: The light sensor reads the light intensity (luminosity) in your environment from 0 - 100,000 lux, where 0 lux is full darkness and 30,000-100,000 lux is direct sunlight. Keep in mind that if you are running a program with a luminosity condition, you may need to adjust it for different environments, as light intensity can vary significantly between rooms.
Compass: The compass sensor (it's really a "magnetometer") allows BOLT to know it's orientation on earth, just like a normal compass. This sensor can be used to write a program that moves in real-world directions around a room, or even in relative directions if placed on a map oriented correctly. The compass also enables "Auto-Aiming" on BOLT, where the robot syncs it's offset from North with the compass inside your phone or tablet, so you don't need to aim manually. You can find the Auto-Aim feature on the drive screen of the Sphero Edu app.
Infrared (IR) Sensors: Infrared (IR) is invisible light with longer wavelengths than visible light, and it is commonly used in TV remote controls to transmit small amounts of data. IR is used in Sphero BOLT to send data such as relative distance and heading between robots, and custom messages. There are four IR emitters and receivers (pairs) for 360° awareness assuming there is a clear line of sight between two or more BOLT robots. The valid range is up to about 4 meters.
*You learn more about how to use the new sensors in the Activities section of Sphero Edu
