WOWWEE CHANNELS WALL-E WITH ROBOSCOOPER

WowWee is continuing to release inexpensive robot toys, and unlike many of their previous offerings (with the obvious and excellent exception of the Rovio), the new Roboscooper actually might have some sort of practical application. Sort of. If you want things that weigh about an ounce lifted up and carted around. Here’s what Roboscooper can do:

* Scoops objects up automatically when in autonomous mode, or when controlled by the included remote
* Nimble. Has six wheels allowing it easy traversal over most terrain
* Multi-directional mobility
* Funny phrases and sound effects
* Sensors in his hands allow it to detect objects in front of it on the floor and pick them up, or knock them around
* Obstacle avoidance

This is the robot that picks up objects at your command and loads them onto its cargo bed, emptying contents at your preferred location. The remote drives the robot left, right, forward, and backward–with skidding sounds for stops and beeps when in reverse–allowing you to nudge it into place for picking up small, 1 oz. items such as balls, toys, or socks with its two articulated arms and hands. It can also operate autonomously using its four infrared “eyes” that seek and detect objects within its 8 – 12? sight range while it announces “Let’s get to work!” Once an object is secured, the robot’s torso pivots to deposit an object into its cargo bay; it dumps contents by vibrating to dislodge objects from the bay, adding “one step closer to a cleaner world.” Completely aware of its environment, it informs you when an object is either too large or fixed with “too heavy for me” and “uh… a little help, please” if it gets stuck. It can also issue beefy, two-handed slaps to objects when set into “whack” mode, urging you to “let ‘er rip!” when ready.

I really like the idea of a robot that drives around, picking up random stuff… Especially since the robot is apparently smart enough to take all the stuff it picks up back to one place. I’m not sure how it does this, since the descriptions don’t refer specifically to WowWee’s NorthStar indoor positioning system… I think we’ll have to wait for a video demo to find out how Roboscooper works, how well it works, and whether it’s worth the asking price.

Roboscooper is currently on pre-order for $70, and is expected to ship by the end of this month.

[ WowWee Roboscooper] ] VIA [ RobotsRule ]