If you attempted to convince a kid that electric cars on a plastic track were once a great way to pass a rainy afternoon, they’d just stare at you for a few seconds, and then go back to playing with their iPads. Which is exactly why these tiny autonomous Ozobots are designed to work on either an electronic display, or a printed track.
They’re not unlike the Anki Drive toys, but instead of racing cars around an oval track, the Ozobots use sensors on the underside to follow lines you can draw with a black marker on paper, or on a touchscreen device. There’s even power-ups that can affect how the Ozobots roll around, like speed boosts or causing them to change their route.
The Ozobots will be launching on Kickstarter in the near future, and when officially available a starter set — which includes a single robot and a collection of tiny ‘track’ cards — will set you back $US59. [Ozobots]