Ozobot: game-playing mini robot

The Ozobot is an attempt to combine robotics and gaming, with a mini-robot that uses an optical sensor to navigate on different-colored lines that determine their speed. Tracking physical and digital lines seamlessly, these small R2-D2 clones were a treat to observe as they danced and raced across an iPad screen and a piece of white paper.

The Ozobot comes with three games and an “exploration” app, and the battery lasts for 35 minutes on continuous operation. The Ozobot is scheduled to launch Aug. 1 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and will be available for general order Sept. 1. (One pack, $50; two pack, $100)