A few of the guys in the View offices are just a little bit obsessed with robots. One wishes he had a personal mechanical servant, while the other seems annoyed it's 2006 and he's still without a Jetsons-type lifestyle. So it was with great relief that I recently came across the WowWee line of robotic humanoids, pets and pre-historic birds of prey.
Called Robosapien, Robopet and Roboraptor, these remote-control products are designed to present a "fusion of technology and personality," which mostly seems to mean they're fairly advanced for personal robots and are sassy in speech and behavior.
Robosapien started with its original namesake and has since introduced the new Robosapien V2 ($199, Best Buy), a 24-inch-tall menace to society.
The Robosapien people claim the little guys can walk at multiple speeds, turn, bend, sit, and also have fully functional arms and gripping, articulated fingers.
It also talks and has 67 functions, including picking up AND throwing items, kicking, rapping, dancing and kung-fu fighting. Oh, and farting and belching. Because who wants a robot that isn't programmed to fart and belch?
The Robosapien is interesting to watch, and could probably be used to perform menial tasks, such as picking up small, lightweight items.
The 7-inch-tall Robopet ($49.99, Best Buy), which resembles a mechanical dog without ears, is programmed to exhibit both nice and naughty behavior, much like the Robosapien. Sonic and motion sensors allow it to respond to human voices and movement, and it makes digital animal sounds, including barking and whimpering, and also can run, walk, sit, lie down and roll over. The Robo people also claim the dog can "learn" by reacting to positive and negative reinforcement, and that the pet's motion sensors prevent it from taking a plunge down the stairs or off the table, or walking into things.
More so than the Robosapien, this seems like a decent training tool for kids who want a pet but might not be ready for the responsibility.
The Roboraptors ($99.99, Best Buy) are the best looking of the line and can move their limbs, turn their heads and necks, whip their tails and respond to commands from the Robosapien V2. They also are represented by the best online commercial: The Robosapien dances on a conveyor belt, then works its smooth pickup lines on a woman, while the Robopet walks around on a tabletop barking at a real dog that keeps up an audible internal monologue about how much it hates the Robopet. Roboraptor walks across a desk, which turns into a pre-historic jungle, where it hunts dragonflies before being transported back to the present and biting its owner.
The 32-inch-long Robo beasties walk on two legs and come with aggressive/hunter, nervous/cautious and friendly/playful modes pre-programmed, and boast powerful jaws that play tug-of-war, bite and pull games. I've always wanted a nervous robot with powerful jaws that likes to bite.
In all seriousness, the Robopet and Robosapien are graded for ages 8 and older, but Roboraptor's Web site lists no age recommendation. I recommend skewing a bit higher.
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