by Jennifer Robb
This is a first… it’s time for a Tech Tool Tuesday update post! If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll know that we’ve written about Ozobots before (and if you haven’t, check that post out here), shortly after the Ozobot Bit started making its way into schools. Now, it’s time to take a look at the most recent iteration in the Ozobot lineup — the Evo!
Like Ozobot’s Bit, the Evo is a byte-sized (haha, get it?) robot that packs a ton of 
functionality into its tiny polycarbonate shell. In addition to the top-side LED and optical sensor featured in the Bit, the Evo has a built-in speaker, four infrared proximity sensors, Bluetooth capabilities, and five additional LED lights for further customization! The inclusion of additional sensors means that your Ozobot can do more than follow a simple set of instructions — it can be coded to take in environmental information and respond accordingly, enabling users to learn more complex and sophisticated code than was possible with the Bit.
Still a novice coder? No worries! Although so much more is possible with the Evo, Ozoblockly‘s user-friendly interface gives you five different options (from “novice” to “master”), with more codes and functionality becoming available with each increase in coding level. And as you become more comfortable with block coding and are thinking about moving onto a more complex system, Ozoblockly also provides a JavaScript preview so you can view a direct translation between the two coding languages.
In addition to the colour coding (using old-fashioned markers and paper) and block coding systems shared with the Ozobit Bit, Evo has a companion app (available for both iOS and Android; not yet for Chromebook as of this post) that opens up so many more ways to learn! The Evo app allows you to drive your Ozobot with a control stick, provides Ozocode challenges, play the Evo Launch game, access community tutorials and resources, and so much more…
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- Ozobot Evo App – Play!
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- Ozobot Evo App – Explore!
There is so much more this little ‘bot can do that we haven’t even gotten to explore yet — we can’t wait to take them out into the community and put them through their paces! If you’re thinking of picking one up yourself, the Ozobot Evo retails for about $120 CAD* (in comparison to the Bit, which retails for about $65 CAD). While the Bit is a fantastic option for STEAM learning in your school or home, in our opinion, the extra sensors, companion app, and hardware upgrades make the Evo worth the higher price point!
* Retail price accurate as of March 17, 2020.
