April 4, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

An Apple a Day Keeps the Coding Fresh!

By Michael Ray

Saturday, August 4, the Century City’s Apple store hosted a Kid’s Hour featuring a Sphero Maze Challenge. The event introduced basic coding, as well as a hands on demonstration of the round robot Sphero. The Apple Geniuses were on hand to help the young participants navigate through the maze.

The maze, constructed with numbered tape, featured a series of straightaways, sharp turns and fellow coders on the track. The Apple Geniuses guided the group of participants, aged eight to twelve, with one-on-one training. The training included how to use Sphero’s app, as well as tips for navigating the maze. Founded by Adam Wilson and Ian Bernstein, the duo has created an array of robots including Sphero, Ollie, and most recently, BB-8 from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Bernstein has stated “My passion is in electronics and robotics. Ever since I was 12 years old I have been building robots and in 2010 I started a company so I could work on cool stuff all the time!” His current robot project is Misty II, a programmable robot with speakers, facial recognition camera, USB ports and more.

Apple Geniuses demonstrating how to program the round robot Sphero.

Inside the Apple Store, the Kid’s Hour is just one several programs that is hosted throughout the week. An Apple Genius told Century City-Westwood News that the store was opened in November of 2017 and coincided with the release of the iPhone X. The new store is complete with a new design in that the “Genius Bar” has been replaced with a multipurpose space. The redesign is credited to Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail, “with the goal of educating, inspiring, entertaining and enriching communities” according to the Ahrendts’ Apple Biography. From studio hours to workshops and classes the Apple Geniuses assist participants in understanding products, programs, and apps.

An up-close look at Sphero.

During the Maze Challenge, participants used an iPad to program the Sphero to navigate through series of twists and turns. According to a press release by Sphero, users can “Download SPRK lessons, learn the basics of programming, and actually have fun doing it. Then unleash Sphero’s inner robot and program like a pro using the MacroLab and OrbBasic apps.” The robot has a max rolling of speed of up to seven feet per second and is waterproof. The Sphero has several accessories, as well as internal lights and is compatible with multiple operating system. Sara S. from La Crosse, WI cited that her nieces and nephews had used Sphero in the previous year and so she decided to get one for them this summer. She wrote in her review of the Sphero, “they’ve showed me some of the things they learned in school and it’s incredible what these [seven] and [eleven] year olds can do with an app and a robot.” During the Maze Challenge, the Apple Geniuses guided the participants through the technical aspects of the maze and helped to calculate distance, speed and rotation of the robot. During training sessions like the Maze Challenge, people have an opportunity to have a hands on interaction with a specific device or software. An Apple Genius stated that the store also has sessions for other devices including the iPad and Apple TV.

Related Posts

Scoop Dreams Come True: Van Leeuwen Launches New Beverly Hills Shop

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

Van Leeuwen’s Beverly Hills Opening Comes With Sweet Perks Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, a New York City-born brand celebrated for...

WeHo’s WeHappy Wednesdays Serve Up Big Discounts In Addition to Zero Parking Fees

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

Free Parking and $5 Cocktails? WeHo Makes Wednesdays Worth It The City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Chamber...

Saijo Hand Roll Rolls into Culver City with Premium Japanese Ingredients

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Binchotan-Fired Perfection: Saijo Rolls Out Premium Sushi in West LA A new destination for hand rolls and Japanese culinary craftsmanship...

(Video) Check Out Bernie’s, a New Pop Up at Citizen Public Market in Culver City

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Made with fresh frozen fruit and a toasted merengue topping these flavors are irresistible. The pop up will be at...

From Cocktails to Coffee: U.S. Tariffs Threaten Imports, Jobs, and Your Grocery Bill

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Major Price Hikes Expected for Coffee, Wine, Chocolate, and Butter  A sweeping new set of tariffs announced by former President...

Levain Bakery to Open Venice Location with Special Guests and Charitable Twist

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Bigger Than a Cookie: Levain’s Venice Opening Is a Flavorful Fundraiser Levain Bakery, the cult-favorite cookie destination founded in New...

LAX Airport Server Finds Hate-Filled Message From Unidentified Diners

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Waiter Says He Was Stunned by the Message Left by Customers Guillermo Ortiz, who works at Planet Hollywood inside the...

Sunset Strip Staple Le Petit Four Shuts Down After Landlord Pulls the Plug

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

End of an Era: Le Petit Four Forced to Close in West Hollywood In a stunning reversal to the upbeat...

Metro LA Pushes Back Sepulveda Transit Community Meetings

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

Environmental Review Delay Prompts Metro to Reschedule  Metro announced that community meetings scheduled for early April to discuss the Sepulveda...

County Board Approves New Homeless Agency, Redirecting Millions from Existing System

April 2, 2025

April 2, 2025

With Billions on the Line, LA County Moves to Centralize Homeless Response Los Angeles County is making a dramatic shift...

Put the Phone Down: LAPD and CHP Targets Distracted Drivers in April Crackdown

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Hands-Free Law Violations Could Now Cost You More Than Just a Fine Throughout April, the Los Angeles Police Department will...

Five Arrested in Culver City After Attempted Carjacking and Vandalism Incident

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Gun, Warrants, and Broken Glass: Culver City Police Tackle Two Crimes Police arrested four juveniles in connection with an attempted...

Kim Delaney, Partner Cleared After Weekend Arrest in Marina del Rey

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Emmy-Winning Actress and Partner James Morgan Released Kim Delaney, the Emmy-winning actress recognized for her roles in NYPD Blue and...

(Video) Spending an Afternoon at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Go To Pacpark.com For Tickets and More Information. Go To https://t.co/fDDgcY6b3e For Tickets and More Information.#amusementpark #rides #rollercoaster #summer #spring...

Matū Kai to Debut in Brentwood With Grass Fed Wagyu and Global Flair This Week

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

Farm-To-Fork Beef, Wood-Fired Flavors, and Sustainability Meet on San Vicente The team behind Beverly Hills’ acclaimed steakhouse Matū will soon...