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You may recall that several months ago we posted about Roboboa, the AI robotic snake from WowWeee – makers of Robosapien – which, apart from offering everything you would expect from a robotic snake, also offers a few intriguing secondary functions such as a motion detecting angle poise desk lamp and even a child safety light – well now it’s available in the US.

Priced at $99.99, Roboboa is sure to prove to be a great hit this coming Christmas and you can read our original post here: WowWee Roboboa – The Dancing AI Robot Python.

However, just to wet your appetite, here’s a brief run down of Roboboa’s capabilities as detailed on the official product website:

• Thinks for himself but follows your every command
• 3-eyed “alien” vision really sees, tracks and follows
• Dazzling LED lights and sounds reveal his many moods
• Rotates, swivels, spins, lifts and roves around
• Multiple play modes
• Three “shooting” guard modes
• 16 hours “time-shift” alarm function
• Interacts with other Wowwee robots
• Program sequences up to 40 steps long
• Over 40 functions from easy-to-use flashlight remote controller

Boston Dynamics have released new, remarkable video footage of their robotic quadruped ‘pack mule’ in action showing just how far developed this DARPA funded robot’s sense of balance has developed – even to the extent that it can maintain its balance whilst climbing obstacles and when loosing its grip on black ice (as well as being kicked).

Powered by a less than stealthy gas engine, Boston Dynamics’ BigDog is being developed to serve as a test bed for a robotic ‘pack mule’ that will, some day, work to carry supplies to troops in the field whilst intelligently overcoming, or skirting around, any obstacles in its path and, in the video featured below, one should note that the BigDog not only has to carry its own weight but also a 340lb load.

For those that lack the patience to watch the entire clip, notable highlights include the BigDog maintaining its balance on ice at 1m 25secs, the BigDog making its way over breeze blocks at 2m 20secs and the robot jumping across a marked area at the end of the clip (during which it looks and moves so much like a living creature it’s actually quite disarming).

According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.

It’s never too early to install an interest in technology, robotics and basic engineering in children and the BEAM Bot Club – BEAM is an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, Mechanics – is a scheme whereby for a single one off fee each month, for four months, you’ll be sent a different robot in kit form offering differing capabilities that can be constructed with just a little soldering.

The four BEAM Bot Club robots included in the monthly mailings are as follows;

The Jitterbug Bot – Charge him up and watch this vibrating robot ‘jitter’ across the floor.

The Solar Bug Bot – A light seeking robot that will follow the strongest light source.

The SolarSpeeder Bot – A ‘solaroller’ bot that will cover 10 feet in 40 seconds using solar energy.

The Mousebot – The most complex bot in the series will chase flashlight beams and uses sensing whiskers to avoid obstacles (can be configured to chase other Mousebots).

A fantastic, fun and educational gift for young children – and undoubtedly a great Christmas present that’s sure to inspire
According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.

Billed on the official product site as being the ‘most affordable humanoid (robot)’, the RoboPhilo robot (Philo stands for Programmable Humanoid In Lifelike Operation) is aimed squarely at those who have outgrown the likes of Robosapien and are looking for an entry level, fully programmable humanoid robot that offers a wide range of movement that can be directly controlled and programmed via a PC but that will not break the bank.

Whilst robots such as Robosapien are arguably more toys than fully fledged robots, the RoboPhilo is certainly reserved only for those with a keen interest in robotics who would like to venture further into the realms of programmability. And, whilst RoboPhilo is certainly by no means the only entry level robot available it’s certainly is competitively priced at less than $500 per unit.

At the time of writing information is a little sparse, however, we can tell you that the RoboPhilo, which is manufactured by World Models Mfg (well known for their remote controlled aircraft), stands 13 inches in height, weighs in at 1.2kg (complete with battery) and consists of a total of 20 separate servo motors controlled by 24 servo channels allowing for full dexterity of limbs, waist and head.

A great deal of the official RoboPhilo website is still under construction so we’re unable to hone in on finer details (especially the PC based programming interface) at the time of writing but rest assured that we’ll be revisiting this little chap the moment further information becomes available. In the meantime we couldn’t resist posting some imagery of the RoboPhilo in action which gives a tantalising glimpse into what we can expect.

The Japanese robotics company HPI have announced their latest robot kit, following on from the G-ROBOTS GR-001, the G-Dog which utilises the same components as the aforementioned robot and which is set to retail for around €550.

Coming in kit form, and using the RPU-11 processing unit, the HPI G-Dog, once assembled, measures in at 190mm in height and is supplied with an RS232 cable allowing you to connect the G-Dog up to your PC (Windows XP systems only, it appears) allowing you to use the bundled ‘motion editor’ software to teach your robotic puppy new tricks though the G-Dog is also operable courtesy of a remote control.

Unfortunately, in not speaking Japanese we are a little at a loss as far as detail is concerned – Google’s translation tool is not proving especially helpful when it comes to translating the official G-Dog product pages – so if one of our Japanese speaking readers out there could offer us a little further insight please do feel free to drop us a mail via our contact form as we’ve aching to dig a little deeper (we’ll credit you for any further information, of course).

Still, in the event that we cannot find a Japanese speaker to assist us in adding to this post, you could always try visiting the page yourself to glean any further info or you can just salivate over the imagery in this post much in the same way we’re doing.

According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.