Festive Robot Antics

By gonzo.pete on Tuesday, December 6th, 2005 comments

So with Christmas hovering over us I thought I’d pull together some of the finest robotic toys currently available to keeps the kids and adults alike occupied during the queens speech-yawn.

ROBOSAPIEN V.2

First off. The ever growing Robo family has recently given birth to the Robosapien Version 2
Now this guy looks the nuts. It’s not just a V.1 with a facelift. He’s had a total make-over.
More fluid movements and a greater range of attainable positions make R2 more convincingly life-like.
He stands a whopping 28 inches tall and is fully controllable via remote control or he can be left to his own devices in “roam” mode.
He can now talk to you, recognise objects and take them from you when offered. He can even take control of Robosapien and Robopet.
He is capable of responding to almost any stimulus and will even follow a laser path laid down for him.

amazon.co.uk has him at £199.94 with free delivery.
Or there's Firebox.com has him for £199.95.

ROBOPET

The Robopet resembles a dog in appearance and though he’s no Aibo he is a whole lot cheaper.
The Robopet will perform the usual tasks expected of a dog. It will roll over and play dead, bark, sit and shake dry.
These tricks can, like other Robo-clones, be controlled via the remote or you can leave him to run wild in free-roam mode. Where he will randomly perform tricks and bounce around the room with all the enthusiasm of an Andrex puppy.
His personality will develop depending on how the owner punishes or rewards him.

amazon.co.uk has him at £49.99 with free delivery
Argos has a pink Robopet for £59.99
Firebox.com has it for £54.95 (don't forget to use our £5 gift voucher offer!).

I-CYBIE

I-Cybie looks more like a dog than the Robopet and comes with a greater price tag.
So what do you get for your extra bucks?
It will respond to voice commands and after training will recognise you as his owner. He will learn to behave, or not depending on how you reward or punish him. He has sensors to avoid obstacles and sensors that detect sound, he will respond accordingly to each stimulus. He also has basic touch sensors and will respond to stroking and other touch.
When he is low on batteries he will find his base station (additional extra) and charge himself, a nifty little touch I think you’ll agree. He’ll perform all the usual tricks such as shake hands, sit, stay, guard, beg and many more. His eyes also change to reflect his mood

iirobotics has him at £215 plus delivery

IDOG

I dog is a clever little robot that takes any audio input via a 3.5mm plug and converts it into flashing lights and dancing. Certain music affects him differently and he’ll let you know how he feels by lights on his face and his movements. You can show him praise by stroking his head and nose or discipline him by flicking his tail.
His built in microphone is capable of listening to music via an outside source and he’ll let you know what he thinks of it with lights and movement.

He is the perfect desktop size and would make a great gift for PC jockey’s and MP3 addicts. You’re never alone with an idog.

Firebox has him at £29.95 +£3.95 Postage (don't forget to use our £5 gift voucher offer!).

SONY AIBO

Now for the daddy of interactive robotic pets, Aibo. This little fella has been around for a few years now in various guises and has had a recent makeover. Aibo boasts so many features you’d be hard pushed to find a real dog capable of doing even half what Aibo can. His movements are fluid and varied with more tricks than Paul Daniels.

He has his own memory in the form of Sony memory sticks and he will remember where he left his favourite toy. Voice recognition is standard and he can now read out webpage content. He can sense just about anything including temperature, pressure, light and vibration.

He will communicate his mood via his LED facial expressions. You make him what he is and your interaction or lack of it will develop his personality.

He comes with base station/charger which he can automatically locate and dock with.

One of the most impressive features is his ability to accept commands wirelessly from a remote computer anywhere in the world and relay back photos of his surroundings. Making him a true guard dog, very useful when you’re away on holiday for instance. Owners of the older models can upgrade to the latest features making Aibo future proof. A comforting thought considering the price.

iirobotics has him at £1,200.00 + depending on colour
Amazon has him at £1,173.81in white although price varies depending on colour. Amazon also have a load of extras for the pooch - including a skateboard of all things!

ROBORAPTOR

Dinosaurs may be extinct, but Roboraptor brings them into the age of technology.At 32 inches long Roboraptor's life-like animatronic motion allows him to walk and run as well as hold a predatory stance.
Roboraptor has multi-sensors all over his body enabling him to hear, see and feel people and the environment around him. He has the ability to snap his jaws shut and hold his pray in his mouth. When feeling playful he will even nuzzle your hand-ahh how cute.

Amazon has him at £78.95 with free delivery, or
Firebox for £79.95 (don't forget to use our £5 gift voucher offer!).
We covered this beast a few weeks back, see the post for more

Conclusion

With Aibo being the most advanced and expensive pet he may be out of range for even the most spoilt child. But with a robot to suite every budget you’re sure to find a new robotic friend to help you see in the New Year!

I will certainly be ordering an IDog to brighten up my already cluttered desktop.

If you liked these Robots you should also check out the full Wowwee-Robo range which also includes Roborator, Robosapien 1 and the miniature Robo pack.