Gadget Reviews
My robot
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| Wrex The Dawg |
EVER since Brigitte Helm strutted across the screen dressed in a metallic suit
in Fritz Lang's science fiction epic Metropolis more than 90 years ago, we've
been fascinated by robots.
Forbidden Planet gave robots emotions and turned Robbie the Robot into the
first mechanised movie star. The menacing voice of the HAL 9000 computer in
2001: A Space Odyssey introduced the first psychotic robot.
But it was Star Wars that really made robots into characters: C3P0 and R2D2
had genuine personalities that made them, by turns, funny, sad and (in the case
of C3P0) infuriating.
This year has been a vintage one for lovers of robots. A $400m space probe
laden with robotics landed on Mars and the highly anticipated animated robot
film Wall-E is just around the corner.
Robots aren't just the stuff of movie dreams and Nasa projects - these days
they're widely used in manufacturing and in an increasingly affordable range
of domestic hoovers and lawnmower machines.
Rovio
£249.95 from www.red5.co.uk
THIS clever piece of kit is fully loaded with a webcam and WiFi so you can
tap into it from any internet access point and snoop around your own home.
It's the perfect tool for sneaking up behind homework-dodging kids to gently
remind them to get on with it.
Pleo £199.95 from www. amazon. co. uk
PACKED with sensors, gears and motors, this interactive companion explores
his environment and develops a personality based on his surroundings and your
input.
i-Sobot
£199 from www.iwantoneofthose.com
STANDING at just 6.5 inches tall, i-Sobot is the world's smallest mass-produced
humanoid robot. This little guy packs a lot into his small frame - he can sing,
dance, roll and kick. The i-Sobot responds to ten pre-programmed voice commands
and comes with a hilarious collection of special action commands (including
animal and celebrity impressions).
Wrex The Dawg
£89.99 from www.play.com
THIS plastic pooch, created from scrap yard left overs, is chock full of surprises.
Wrex has on-board sensors and speakers with three different moods and desires.
Robotic Arm
£30 from www.red5.co.uk
FOR an introduction into the world of robotic builds, look no further than
this simple arm construction.
It's a dead-ringer for those found in car manufacturing plants - it pivots,
grips, twists and lifts - making it the perfect piece of machinery to lift and
dunk a biscuit at your desk or perhaps even tidy away your stationery.
Spykee
£199.95 from www.firebox.com
WITH this Meccano kit you can build your own do-almost-everything entertain-o-bot.
You can control your Spykee via WiFi and get it to play MP3 files, act as as
a room sentry with its sensor alarms, have a webcam chat, make cheap internet
calls and even climb stairs.
10:53am Thursday 26th June 2008
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