Robosapien has long been a secret ‘wish’ of mine. I could see myself spending hours trying to teach it to pour and serve me a beer, then save the precious maneuver as a macro. A beer pouring / serving robot might just top St. Pauli girl – it’s a toss up to be sure. What could be more primal than a beautiful woman bringing you a beer? Why your very own programmable robot, of course!
The forthcoming Robosapien Media adds just the features that may push Robosapien from a toy into a wider market. Instead of just being a cool curiosity, this new Robosapien has media playback features to possibly widen its appeal. It can play MP3 music through built in stereo speakers. It’ll playback Mpeg video on a 320x160 pixel color display built into its chest. It can even record video while walking around in a room, with video recordings stored on an SD card. The robot can be placed into a 'guard' mode where it’ll use motion sensors to start recording if anyone walks into the room. Possibilities for Robosapien with full media capabilities are nearly endless.
If you’re familiar with the Robosapien line, you’re aware that the current iteration is version 2. There is a version 3 on the horizon, not due out until sometime in 2007. Robosapien Media is being called RS Media or Version 2.5. Media features aren’t the only new toys this new robot includes:
- 11 watt stereo speakers, turns Robosapien into a walking music machine
- Display images or MPEG video onto its 320x160 pixel color screen
- Record and store sounds and voices on the SD memory
- Improvements in personality and dynamic modifications
- Built in SD Flash memory slot
The word on the street is it’ll carry a $350 price tag and will be available for Christmas ‘06. There is a whole cottage industry around the Robosapien; people have hacked it and even share custom programs for it online. It’s always a good sign for any toy (gadget or otherwise) when there is an enthusiastic community supporting it.
