With the weather picking up, there’s nothing like stepping outside and kicking a ball around with some friends. Or so I hear; I’m too busy inside glued to my laptop. But a team of Rovio robots over at NYU decided to have a kickabout, their student trainers coming up with software that allows the WowWee ‘bots to recognize a bright yellow tennis ball and shovel it toward the red goal.
Sentry robots like WowWee’s Rovio are all well and good – wandering around your house while you’re away, and allowing you to log-in remotely and make sure nothing amiss is taking place – but they generally fall short when it comes to actually dealing with a problem. That was the starting point for RoboCommunity member Colt45, who hacked his Rovio into a remote fire extinguisher.
Details of the latest remote control aircraft in WowWee’s FlyTech range have emerged, describing a plane that’s begging to be crashed into the ground. The WowWee FlyTech CrashFX is of a more traditional design than, say, the WowWee Dragonfly, but uses a new Easi-Snap system whereby the wings and tail section are designed to be easily broken off and then quickly clipped back on.
WowWee’s RoboReptile design is all well and good if you like, well, robotic reptiles, but what if you long for a real lizard? Turning the WowWee robot into a more realistic animal was the challenge taken on over at RoboCommunity, and the re-dressed results look pretty impressive.
Video after the cut
WowWee’s Rovio has now got a BlackBerry remote control app, courtesy of RoboCommunity member bbrovio. The software, which is still in its early stages, allows BlackBerry users to operate all of the main functions of the WiFi webcam ‘bot – including directional movement and head control – from their smartphone, while viewing “video” updates over the cell network. Right now, the video is only a few frames per second, but it’s enough to control the Rovio remotely.
WowWee have announced a new range of pico-projectors, based on Texas Instruments’ DLP chipset. The three new products range from straightforward projector handsets, as already on-sale, to a combination pico-projection boom box. The WowWee Cinemin Swivel, shown here, will hit the market first, offering 480 x 360 resolution, three hour battery life, a poseable neck for projecting on walls, ceilings or anything in-between, and a standard video input suitable for iPods, laptops and other devices.
Here’s a pretty cool device that has all sorts of mischievous potential. The WowWee Spyball is a remote controlled webcam hidden inside a futuristic-looking plastic ball. Note to WowWee: the ball’s appearance might be kind of a giveaway.
When we looked at WowWee’s Rovio last month, one thing we were certain of was its mod-potential. As of next year, one of the more ambitious hacks will go live: RoboDance 5, with added support for Skype. While setting up the Rovio’s WiFi webcam streaming currently requires a little router tinkering, RoboDance 5 will utilize Skype’s zero-config setup to instantly connect the robot and a remote client, whether that client be Windows or Mac, or even a smartphone.
Blizzard continues to roll out upgrades across the board ever since the Wrath of the Lich King expansion came out. In fact, the World of Warcraft Armory page was updated today, and it now features stats and information previously unavailable prior to the 3.02 patch.
It’s been all about the smartphones this week, with the long-awaited HTC Touch HD finally reaching our hands for one of the first full English-language reviews online. If our initial video demos last week whetted your appetite, head over to part one and part two of our full review to really gorge yourself. Meanwhile, to cheer up those in the US who are still smarting over HTC’s decision not to offer the Touch HD there, we reviewed AT&T’s newly released BlackBerry Bold.
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