Here’s an interesting twist on the boring old web camera. Just like 8 bazillion other web cams this will provide video through an Internet connection. And (yawn) it does so via Wi-Fi. But here’s where things get interesting. This version goes mobile and provides images via 802.11b/g while simultaneously performing 360 degree turns. For a projected cost of only $169 this gizmo’s worth a look. I’m not sure how much or how precisely you can steer – though the literature mentions 360 degree turns.

Spyball can be connected to from many WiFi enabled devices such as PC’s, video game consoles and even cell phones. It comes with a USB cord that takes the user through an easy setup process to configure Spyball for remote access. Spyball is little brother to the self navigating and self recharging Rovio robot.

Spyball has two revolving domes, one per side that act as wheels. The middle section is unmoving and holds the camera. In its closed state, the camera folds down and a balancing wheel tucks into the body. In this state, you can roll the ball along the ground. It has a bottom weight which is used to correct its positioning when it comes to a stop. This orients Spyball into the correct position for the changing to the camera or open state. Once activated electronically the head and balancing wheel pop out to allow you to start driving it again.

WowWee – Spyball – Available Q4 2009 – approximately $169

Oh to be one of those geeks who can effortlessly start up a remote control helicopter and make it fly, but alas. When I play with those type toys I am the one who will almost always immediately crash and burn…assuming I can even get lift off. It’s okay, though; I have found a flying toy which I can operate, and that doesn’t come complete with the same frustration I’ve discovered in others of the type: the WowWee Flytech Bladestar. Built for those who are eight years old and up, it’s even fun for those of us who have hit the big 4-0 (plus one).

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Robert’s at it again; today he has information on Mr. Personality, WowWee’s new omni-directional entertainment robot. Why might you want one? Read on…

Hello Judie,

Reminiscent of one of the robots at the robot carnival in the movie A.I., Mr. Personality is a unique interactive robot companion that talks up a storm. He’s a natural joke teller, a fortune teller, and will even give you whimsical answers about your future. Instead of a featureless face Mr. Personality has an animated face which is displayed via a head mounted full color LCD.

Features

* Can move in all directions using a unique three wheeled mobile base
* Tells stories, jokes, and fortunes and will talk to you too
* Full color head mounted LCD screen display an animated face with synchronized facial expressions and sounds
* Has several distinct play modes including: Bits, Crystal Ball, Fortune Cookies, Demo and others.
* Detects and avoids obstacles and will let you know if he has fallen over or if his batteries are getting low on juice

Official WowWee YouTube video:

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Moe information has just come in from Robert concerning the new WowWee Rovio spy cam robot. After watching these new videos, you may decide that Rovio is exactly what you need for keeping an eye on things when you can’t be home…

Hello Judie in BFE, [Ed note: you see how he is?! ]

WowWee is pulling out all the stops with their new Rovio spy cam robot. Instead of the usual toy style videos they have already produced and published 3 gloss high quality teaser style videos that are high in information content and devoid of fluff. The 3 short TV style videos just published to YouTube give you a crisp look at the Rovio’s features, web interface, and home networking requirements in a rapid yet clear look at their flagship robot product for 2008. Here they are:

Meet Rovio – TV commercial style clip , short and sweet

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It looks like the 2008 holiday season is going to be chock full of robotic goodness – and I’m not just talking about the huggable and fuzzy types, either. Here is the latest on the Rovio remote surveillance robot, sent in from our buddy Robert Oschler…

WowWee’s highly anticipated remote surveillance robot, The Rovio, has finally been seen in the USA as a pre-order item with an expected ship date of 9/26/2008.  Currently the only place I can find that is accepting pre-orders is Hammacher Schlemmer at a price of $299 (Note: Hammacher never uses the manufacturer’s product name in their web page text but you can see for yourself from the product picture and description that it’s a Rovio, along with their product lifetime guarantee).

Amazon has a page for it that you need to dig for that still says “currently unavailable”, and the major retailers like Target and WalMart do not show it at all.  Still it’s good to see it finally available for pre-order in the USA.  Until now, the only source was Red5 in the United Kingdom since they were lucky enough to get an exclusive on it.  Note, due to the sparse availability of the the Rovio pre-order I would eye that 9/26/2008 ship date a little cautiously.

Hammacher Schlemmer product page.

Amazon page (currently unavailable).

Detailed information page with a picture gallery and several videos of Rovio in action.

Thanks,
Robert Oschler
RobotsRule.com

When I was a child, I absolutely loved stuffed animals; I had such a massive collection residing on my bed that they threatened to push me off should I stretch out or roll over in the middle of the night. One of my fondest wishes at that time was that some of my favorite stuffed animals could be more life-like and animated. Granted, this was in the 70s, and the closest things we had to robotic toys back then were those obnoxious stuffed dogs that came with a wired battery pack so that they could walk a few steps, bark, and then walk a bit more. These toys certainly weren’t huggable, you wouldn’t want to sleep with them, and once the initial trill of watching them do their “thing” wore off, they would invariably wind up in the bottom of a little girl’s toy bin.

Fast forward thirty plus years (ack! did I just admit that?) and we find that little girls still love their stuffed animals, they still hug on them and sleep with, and they still long for a more realistic “pet” experience. Gone are the wired yap-dogs, and in their place we now have much more life-like and animated animals such as those in the new WowWee Alive series.

I was sent their Lion Cub, and from the minute I opened the outer box, I knew exactly who I would employ as its primary “testers”. My boyfriend has two daughters, ages 5 and 9, and they both love stuffed animal; their beds bear silent testament to this fact. Would this particular toy get any type of special treatment once they had discovered its capabilities? Or would it end up in the bottom of their toy bin like the yap-dogs of yesteryear? There was only one way to find out…

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Robert Oschler teased us with glimpses of Wrex, the junkyard dawg, several months ago. Now that sassy canine has crossed our borders, and Robert has the scoop!

Hello Judie,

WowWee’s hilarious and ill-behaved robot junkyard dog has finally popped up in the USA for ordering. Amazon has it available for about $140 (USD) and lists it as “in stock”. Hammacher Schlemmer, who offers a “lifetime guarantee” on their products (about 9 years) also has it with an expected ship date of 9/26/2008 and a price of $130. Buy.com has it available for ordering with Free Shipping, but lists it as “Temporarily Out Of Stock” and at a price of $150. So far the other major retailers like Target and WalMart don’t have it yet.

Here are the relevant links:

Amazon
Hammacher Schlemmer
Buy.com

Detailed Video Review of Wrex The Dawg:

Detailed Written Review

Thanks,
Robert Oschler
RobotsRule.com

If you’ve been intrigued by our previous posts on the new WowWee Femisapien, or E.M.A. the Kissing Robot, then you’ve probably been waiting to hear when she would become available. Robert Oschler, our neighborhood robot guru, has got the low-down…

Hello Judie,

WowWee’s first female robot ever, Femisapien, is now available for purchase for $99 (USD). So far she’s been spotted for sale at Amazon, Target, and WowWee’s online store and listed as being in stock. Femisapien is also known as E.M.A. the Kissing Robot.

Amazon

Target

WowWee Online store

My 5000 word detailed review and companion video review of Femisapien

Thanks,
Robert Oschler
RobotsRule.com

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It’s always a good robot day when Robert Oschler drops us a line, and today is no different. I had this little surprise waiting in my inbox this afternoon, and I couldn’t wait to share…

Hello Judie,

As part of a WowWee’s new “Insider Video” series, they released just minutes ago a pair of videos that give an advanced peek at some of Femisapien’s more advanced features. The first shows WowWee uber-inventor Mark Tilden showing just how easy and it is to script Femisapien simply by moving her body around (posing). The second shows how the scripting-by-posing can be used to create scripts that show truly intricate movements in the setting of a Femisapien fencing match. The Femisapiens aren’t really fighting each other since it’s all scripted and they are not tracking each others movements and then striking at a target, it does make the point strongly of just how nimble she is and just how easy it is to create fun skits with her that involve advanced body movements.

Note: The E.M.A. robot recently announced by Sega Robots is really WowWee’s Femisapien, which will be released shortly in the USA for a suggested retail of $99 (USD).

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Robert Oschler, the unparalleled guru of all things robotic, has just sent us a video of WowWee’s new robot, Wrex the Dawg. With a description like this, how could you not be tempted to peek?

Wrex The Dawg is WowWee’s new, hilarious, ill-mannered robot dog. With an appearance that resembles Frankenstein’s Dog if he were assembled from a disjointed set of junkyard parts, and a face not even a mother could love, you can’t help but laugh the moment you see him.  Some say comedy is the art of understanding the rules of a good drama and then breaking them.  If so, this robot dog breaks all of the rules.  He is absolutely terrible at being a dog and even worse at being a robot.   If it will make you laugh then Wrex will do it, and he doesn’t care how many rules he breaks along the way. He breaks down frequently on purpose. Some times he acts like a cat, other times he insults them.  He farts better than any robot alive and threatens to “tinkle on” nearly every object in your house (a groundless threat since Wrex The Dawg is without the necessary equipment, but it’s the thought that counts!) In short, Wrex The Dog is the silliest robot you’ll ever love!

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This came in today from Robert Oschler, our very own robotic mad scientist…

Hey Judie,

Here’s brand new detailed coverage on WowWee’s upcoming Tri-Bot robot, which we created after playing with him solid for several days:

We just released an In-depth video review that covers the important features and capabilities of the latest successor in WowWee’s Robosapien line of robots, the Tri-Bot. When you combine Tri-Bot’s ability to be driven merely by tilting his remote control along with his unique three wheel base, the net result is a simple to own and easy to love robot with amazing mobility not seen before in consumer robots. This YouTube video will show you these cool features, several of his fun and useful behavior modes, and tell you about the games Tri-Bot can play with you:

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