• Robots @ CES 2008

Hey folks, Valkor here, and I’m continuing with CES 2008 coverage. This is actually an off-shoot to my Sands Coverage, because I think robots deserve their own page. Robots have always intrigued since the day I first watched Star Wars, many moons ago when I was just a little Val. Robotics have come a long way from just an idea, to movie gimmicks, into our reality and there are countless number of robots in the world, many of which can perform different task, interact with humans, some can even be used to amuse. The robots you’re about to meet perform just these functions, but luckily not yet capable of taking over the world…. yet.

Wowwee Toys



Makers of the famous RoboSapien, Wowwee looks to expand beyond RoboSapien. Most impressive is “FemiSapien” Robo’s female counterpart. She has a very sexy look and an even sexier walk. She can hold hands, blow you a kiss, and even do a little dance for you. Tilt her head three different ways to perform certain task, and she can even dance to music you provide. I had a blast interacting with FemiSapien and look forward to a finished version, especially to see how she responds with RoboSapien. Next on the Wowwee block is “Wrex the Junkyard Dawg”. Wrex has a wide range of commands, but he can also act at random. Press a button on the top of his head activates his slot machine function where anything can happen. He also has a keypad function on his back where if you input certain numbers he will act in different ways… even make him think he’s a cat. Lastly Wrex comes with a remote control where you can input more commands such as make him happy or sad, or even feed him when he is hungry. I had of a time playing with Wrex almost as much as messin around with FemiSapien. But the COOLEST Robot Wowwee had on display goes out to Rovio. With Rovio you can now keep an eye on your home, kids, and/or pets, even when you’re not at home, so long as you have Wi-Fi. Rovio comes equipped with a webcam so you can see and hear what goes on. You can even speak through Rovio if need be. You can train it to take certain paths in your home, and when its batteries are low, Rovio will return on its own, back to its base. The only function Rovio doesn’t have is a security function, where if anyone comes into your home he doesn’t kick on and start snapping shots, but its great that you can be a world away and still keep a close eye on things at home. Wowwee please at least let FemiSapien pay a visit to the Val-cave.

Erector



Close by to the Wowwee setup was the folks at Erector. You folks know Erector sets. I remember the metal set where you can make all sorts of items such as a Ferris wheel and different kinds of vehicles. Now Erector has moved into robots with a fearsome foursome. First up meet SpykeeMiss. She’s the fembot for the little miss in your life. She can display emotion, respond to your voice, and if you hook up your IPod to her, she will play your favorite music and even dance to it. Finally Spykee Miss can act as your remote control, controlling multiple devices such as TV, DVD, etc. SpykeeVox is up next and does basically what SpykeeMiss does, but he’s for boys and does stuff that little guys will like, such as fight and make cool weapon sounds. And just like SpykeeMiss you can hook up your IPod to him to rock out to your favorite songs or use him as a remote control. Next there’s SpykeeCell. Now this guy is different from his bro and sis. First off he interacts with your Bluetooth enabled phone. Not only can you control him with your phone you can also take pics thru SC and he can send them back to your phone. Oh ya similar to his siblings he can hook up to an IPod, so he doesn’t feel too left out. Finally there is Spykee the Spybot. Now the robots I saw at the show did not have the one feature this bot has and that’s motion detection for security purpose. Spykee can detect motion and email you a pic. Spykee can also be used as a VOIP phone and hook him up to your IPod. Plus when his batteries get low, he’ll go back to his base for a recharge. Great job folks at Erector, these guys would make kewl minions for the cave. Muahahahahahaha



Roboware



How would you like it if you can wake up one morning, go downstairs and find out weather, news, sports scores, and such all without having to turn on a TV or hook up to the internet? Enter E3, your Robo-companion. E3 has many functions, first and foremost he responds to your voice. Say Hello to him and he will respond accordingly, you can ask E3 to perform actions such as run, dance, or pick up objects. It has a mic so you can talk to him and a webcam for remote viewing. Plus tons of other features can be added through third party software. I hope to see a lot more of E3 as we get closer to his fall release. I think a trip to Hong Kong is in order.

I would have never thought that in my lifetime robots would have reached the point where we can soon have them in our homes for assisting with our daily lives, to pure entertainment. The robots we have here are just the tip of what’s to come and I hope I’m around to see when they are fully developed. Until then stay tuned to TOV for more robotty goodness.