i-SOBOT CAM

Updates:
• 150,000 i-SOBOTs now destined for the US!
• i-SOBOT available NOW at Neiman-Marcus Online
• Eneloop batteries will require a pre-charge in this product
• We clarified our pros and cons
• waziwazi IE bug hopefully fixed (Thanks Bill!)

Introduction:

Bah! I don't wish to read all this. Just give me the pros and cons!

Pros: Awesome fun Small: 6.5" height! 17 degrees of freedom Easy to operate 2 bands/frequencies Gyro sensor Neat Robo-One style bipedal design Smooth human-like motion Voice command mode Huge number of possible actions Hilarious actions $299

Cons: Infra-red (line-of-sight) Communication Not autonomous Cannot program/control individual servos

Hobby robotics enthusiasts have only recently been able to purchase and tinker with advanced bipedal robots such as Kondo's KHR and Hitec's Robonova. These awesomely cool robots, now a staple of the Robo-One competition, have never been popular with everyday gadget-loving consumers because of their steep cost (~$1000), complicated assembly and difficult programming requirements. A new breed of less expensive, pre-assembled and easy-to-operate robots are catching the eye of the everyday consumer. Robosapien, made by Hong Kong outfit WowWee, was one. The robot, now in its third generation as Robosapien RS, comes with a slew of entertaining features but lacks the human-like motion seen in the $1000 bipedal robots.

Video: i-SOBOT Self Introduction

Click To Play

Enter i-SOBOT, a new $299 bipedal capable of smoother, more human-like actions thanks to the 17 'joints' it is created with. i-SOBOT has been 3 years in the making in the labs of Tomy Takara, a Japanese toy company. It comes with an entertaining array of abilities: the cute little robot can walk, kick, punch, somersault, utter some 200 words and even act out ... continued

i-SOBOT is now on pre-order at Toys 'R' Us and Amazon.com. The robot is due to be released on Oct. 25 according to the Toys 'R' Us website.

Ugobe's Pleo is not the only robot to look forward to these holidays. i-SOBOT, touted as the world's smallest commercial humanoid robot, will finally be available this October. Standing at just 6.5" (16cm), The little robot can operate in four modes: remote controlled mode, a programmable mode, voice-control mode, dance mode and an action mode. In the programmable mode, you will be able to instruct i-SOBOT to perform a sequence of actions. There are approximately 200 actions built into the robot such as turn left, raise leg etc. Tomy Takara, the Japanese maker of the robot, has a preliminary website up showing an English-speaking black robot and a Japanese-speaking white robot. See the video below, taken from Robots Dreams, of i-SOBOT introducing himself. ... continued