BOLT Accuracy / Speed / DistanceUpdated a year ago

Though Sphero BOLT has lots of features and sensors inside - it is not a precision measuring instrument.

Some variances in accuracy, speed, and distance are about what is expected for BOLT. Due to the matrix inside BOLT, BOLT is top heavy - if you drive a top heavy object quickly, and then it stops, it topples over (there’s a lesson for physics class!). To combat this topple effect, our team had to implement a control system that is slower than SPRK+, for example. To prevent BOLT from toppling over, and to ensure better accuracy, the max speed had to be reduced and the control system has to handle turning differently as well.

In the Sphero EDU coding and block canvas, we have commands for 'roll at X speed for X amount of time' as well as similar commands that set or reset the heading of the robot.  The reasons we don't have a 'roll X distance' command are (1) each robot has a different amount of torque and (2) you're not guaranteed to get the exact same speed to distance ratio in every situation.  Things like incline, surface texture, battery life, timing of canvas updates, and even temperature can affect this.