Sony gave us the cute little AIBO; now HPI are giving us the Hound of the Baskervilles style G-Dog. The 37.5cm tall robot canine is powered by nine servos and a 7.2V rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery, and can walk, crawl, sit up and beg, and roll over onto its side.
Video demo of the G-Dog after the cut
It’s always interesting to see the various iterations of a gadget’s design, before it reaches the shelves in all its shiny splendor, and today it’s the family album of WowWee’s Rovio mobile WiFi webcam robot. Released at the beginning of October, the Rovio hasn’t always had its Stealth Bomber-style, as these balsa prototypes from RoboCommunity prove.
Telepresence robots don’t have to look like a runaway drinks trolley - they can be cute little things, especially when you build them yourself. Instructables member Sparkyrust has done just that, with a Mac mini-powered mobile Skype robot using predominantly off-the-shelf parts.
Check out the demo video after the cut
Two-wheels good, more-wheels bad. That’s the principle behind this self-balancing DIY robot, which uses similar principles to the Segway to scuttle about the room. The work of Italian programmer Nicola, the robot is based on an Arduino mainboard and gyros, together with a couple of motors capable of feeding back their position.
Video demos of the self-balancing robot after the cut
If you’re looking for a bargain holiday robot, you could do a lot worse than the Tomy i-SOBOT. Originally priced at $300 when the 6.5-inch tall robot launched late last year, Hammacher Schlemmer currently have him listed at just $99.95. That gets you 17 points of articulation, 180 pre-programmed movements and voice-control from ten different verbal prompts.
This is one piece of robotic technology I wouldn’t want to mess around with. And though it might not look very intimidating, this Recon Scout robot is definitely prepared to do some stealthy surveillance.
Nature might once again educate robot design, as engineers Dario Floreano and Mirko Kovac of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in Lausanne turn to grasshoppers for the next generation of search and exploration devices. The pair noted that grasshoppers handle uneven terrain by hopping, clearing up to three feet at a time and avoiding climbing over rocks and other obstacles; small robots have the same problems tackling such terrain, and so Floreano and Kovac built tiny robots that can jump up to eight feet using spring-loaded legs.
With the holiday season fast approaching, we’ve been featuring quite a number of toys here on SlashGear that, in our geeky opinion at least, are likely to be must-have items if you’re under the age of twelve. However, as self-confessed jaded cynics we turned to SlashGear’s latest reviewer, 8-year-old Tanner McBee (and his capable assistant and scribe, David McBee aka “Dad”). WowWee’s Femisapien has sashayed her way into many an adult reviewers heart over the past few months, but can she keep Tanner entertained?
Updated with video review from Tanner McBee himself.
WowWee’s Rovio WiFi mobile webcam is designed to be easily controlled at a distance via the webportal – however what if you want to operate the robot from close up? RobotsRule’s Robert Oschler has added Rovio functionality to the upcoming version of his free RoboDance app, meaning you can use a Nintendo Wiimote to control all of the robot’s features.
Video demo of the RoboDance Rovio Wiimote control in action, after the cut
If you’re a sucker for remote control toys and you’ve got a soft spot for Transformers, Hammacher Schlemmer’s latest distraction might appeal. Converting from a 13-inch tall two-wheeled robot to a four-wheeled sports car or truck, a straightforward RF remote controls forward and backward motion together with 360-degree spins.
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