+ 
= Elmo-Sapien!
Going on two years ago, we put out the challenge for someone to hack together Elmo and the Robosapien. The popular Robosapien at the time was the V2, but since then the RS Media, with it's personality editor capability has come out and has been just pleading for someone to do an Elmo-Sapien.
Well, we're happy to report that 'someone' just did....
A couple years ago, when the original Robosapien robot, created by Mark Tilden, went on sale, there were no third party products. Actually, at that point, no one outside of the WowWee Robotics labs knew enough about the robot to even begin hacking it, or creating new software and accessories for it.
We bought one, and are very glad we did. Figuring out how to control it from our PC was a significant challenge that taught us a lot, though we wouldn't want to try doing it from scratch again. Fortunately now there are several million of the popular Robosapien robots out there, along with other robots in the series, like the RoboRaptor, and RoboPet. And, there are a number of third party solutions for Robosapien fans and addicts to chose from.
Christmas has come and gone, but from the number of video clips showing up on popular video sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video, Santa's sleigh must have been totally overloaded with the popular Roboreptile robots
from WowWee. A quick search on YouTube turned up numerous videos including one that featured a baby teething on the robot, another one where it scares the heck out of a cat and dog, yet another with it trying to climb on top of a floor vacuum, and lots of others.
Our favorite video of the bunch (see below), at least so far, has the robot exploring an office area, attempting to mate with a door, getting its head stuck between a door and the door jam, and then attacking a computer like there's no tomorrow.
Continue reading "Santa Must Have Delivered A Lot Of Robots (Video)" »
Two years ago, November 2004 to be precise, Jason Bradbury - one of the hosts of the popular UK Gadget Show program - made a trip to South Korea that changed his life forever. Like most adventuresome young men on the loose in Asia, Jason immediately fell deeply in love with one of the local inhabitants. It happens all the time. Only in Jason's case, the object of his affections was a cute little humanoid robot named Robonova-1.
Although the relationship wasn't consummated at the time (the Robonova-1 hadn't been released for sale yet) Jason never forgot the experience and kept longing to be reunited with his robot soul mate. Now, after all these years of separation, Jason reports on his personal blog that, "I'm a robot dad!". So, next Monday, November 20th, the world (at least those with access to the program in the UK), will get a chance to see Jason and the other Gadget Show hosts cavort and play with a whole range of robots, including Jason's new-born robot child. From the behind the scenes photos below, it looks like they had an absolute blast.
To kick off the new RoboReporter robot news website, Robert, the site publisher, is staging a contest and the Discovery Channel's online store has put up a Chromashift
Roboreptile robot that will go to the contest winner. The RoboReporter concept is very simple and straight forward. If you like Digg, then you're probably going to love this new site. Registration is free and open to all comers. Registered participants submit new robotics related news stories, which are then 'voted-on' by other readers. The more popular stories quickly find their way to the top of the pile.
According to the RoboReporter contest rules, the Chromashift Roboreptile robot will go to the member that submits the highest number of valid posts during the month of November. You do have to reside in either the US or Canada - which unfortunately leaves us out of the competition.
So, don't just sit there. Get your browser over to the RoboReporter website, read the rules, register, and then start submitting pointers to new and exciting robot developments. They don't have to be about the Roboreptile or even a Robosapien - any robot related news story will be considered. Who knows? You might be lucky enough to take home a brand new Roboreptile robot.
While most of the Robosapien fans around the world still have to be content with the older Robosapien V2 version, some lucky folks in Australia have able to buy the brand new Robosapien RS Media model long before Christmas. And some of the more fanatic hackers haven't been content to just play with their new toy - they have completely disassembled it down to the individual components, motors, and springs.
Luckily for the rest of us that aren't likely to see hide nor hair of the RS Media until long after Santa Claus has returned to the North Pole, hackers like "Carloz" have fully documented their RS Media uncloaking with great photos and commentary. If you're a devoted robot hacker, or even if you just have a passing curiosity about how Mark Tilden works his robotic wonders, you'll definitely want to check out this continuing thread on the Unofficial Robosapien Hacks and Mods Forum.
Australia is great place to roll out new technology. The people really seem to enjoy and appreciate the latest and greatest gadgets, they are used to paying a little more for imported technology, and they don't hesitate to give feedback about what they like and what they don't. Best of all - it's fairly remote and isolated, so if a new product unexpectedly falls flat on its face, the damage is minimal.
WowWee seems to be consistently using Australia as the test market for their latest robots. On Tuesday (October 10th), they introduced the new Robosapien RSMedia in Sydney complete with a host of well known Australian entertainment and sports personalities. It's going to be interesting to see how well the Oz market warms to the new robot, and how it impacts the introduction schedule for other countries.
Although the new Robosapien RSMedia robot designed by Mark Tilden won't hit store shelves until sometime in January, 2007, WowWee has already started to build some enthusiasm and awareness around it. Tilden has been showing it off, along with the RoboReptile, to the press in Europe, and a few days ago, the new RSMedia Official Website went live.
The website is worth a visit, especially if you're a Robosapien fan. In addition to some general overviews and features lists, it also contains the full RSMedia user manual for the robot. We spent about an hour reading through the manual, and all we can say is 'complex'. It runs around 70 pages with table after table after table of listings showing all the button combinations necessary to get the robot to do what you want. Unfortunately the manual doesn't address a lot of our open questions - it probably shouldn't - so we'll have to wait until we can test and review the robot first hand.
Robots, whether we're talking about real world physical bots or cyberspace virtual bots, can be extremely useful things. In addition to our rapidly expanding robot collection on the second floor, we also benefit from a number of active search bots that we've loosed on the internet to alert us to the latest robot news and happenings.
So, we weren't surprised when one of our search bots turned up a new Youtube video interview featuring Mark Tilden (see below) posted by ShinyMedia. The interview, which is billed as a 'one-minute video review' runs almost 4 minutes and covers quite a bit of ground including Tilden showing off both the RoboReptile and the RSMedia robots.
Continue reading "Mark Tilden on the Robosapien RSMedia (Video)" »
Well, it's late August already. Time for the toy companies to start rolling out all their latest goodies and 'must-haves' to start getting the Christmas holiday buying season momentum underway. According to an article posted on the popular Gizmag gadget website yesterday, WOWWEE Robotics is about to start deliveries of what should prove to be the most feature packed and shocking Robosapien robot yet.
No one is surprised when an older sibling becomes intensely jealous of a new baby in the family. The parents, naturally enough, seem to shower all their attention and love on the new arrival while the older child, who is used to being the sole center of attraction, often feels shoved aside or abandoned.
Of course robots, being the mechanical creations that they are, aren't subject base human emotions, like jealousy... Or are they?
Continue reading "Will Robots Learn Human Emotions? (Video)" »
Apparently the report that the new RoboReptile would be released 'world wide' this week was a little premature. The official release schedule that was recently posted on the RoboReptile website shows the new robot already available in Singapore and Taiwan. The New Zealand debut listed is June 26th, followed by Australia in early July, then several (but not all) European countries sometime in September. No mention is made of the UK, France, or US market release dates. [Thanks Carl]
Creative artists and inventors find inspiration all around them, and robot designers are no different. According to a story just published in "The Sunday Mail", Mark Tilden, the creator of some of the world's best selling robots like the Robosapien and Roboraptor, found his inspiration for the new RoboReptile while watching television.
There hasn’t been much news on the Robosapien front recently, and with Takara Tomy saying that they will put an under $400 robot on the market next Spring, we’re wondering what the WowWee Robotics team is planning to field that will be new and exciting. When we ran across some recent photos of the Robosapien V2 Media robot, it showed some promise, but . . .
Continue reading "Robosapien V2 Media - New And Exciting Or ???" »
Microbi didn't want his Robosapien V2 robot to get bored, so he loaded it up with fresh batteries, let it practice some new dance steps a little, then the two of them headed off for a heavy night at the Discoteque. Luckily, all the action was captured on camera in the video below. . .
NY1 - New York City’s “24–Hour Newschannel On The Web” has been running an interesting series of articles on the latest in consumer technology. The Valentine’s Day post and video (see links below) focus on robots like Robonova-1, LEGO Mindstorm NXT system, the P.E.A. BOT, and other new robot technology.
The folks over at evolutionshops.com in France must have an inside track to Mark Tilden and the WowWee Robotics organization because they keep turning up new photos, videos, and seem to actually have been playing with a few of the newest robots like the Roboreptile.
Continue reading "Roboreptile Robot Photos and Video Surface in France" »
The world's most popular walking, laughing, bowling, and wannabe stand-up comic robot - the Robosapien V2 is going to put in a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of "The Bernie Mac" show on FOX.
The French blog, “Robosapien le blog” just posted a great new photo of the RoboReptile, scheduled to hit the store shelves early this summer.
The American International Toy Fair 2006 is a little more than a week away. Last year, the original Robosapien robot walked away with the "Most Innovative Toy of the Year" award. This year, the Roboraptor is in the running for the same award.
Continue reading "Will Tilden And WowWee Robots Win Again?" »
grover sapien hack
Originally uploaded by sprocket2cog.
Sorry.
Somehow in our haste, when we made the Abbe Normal post we forgot to include this photo of Igor....
One of the reasons we like robots so much is that they present us with endless opportunities to learn and create new things, and have a tremendous amount of fun doing it. One of our friends, and premier robot hacker from ‘the land downunder’, Sprocket2cog, must feel the same way because he’s just rolled out the alpha version of sapienCHAT.
The Robosapien online forums (there are quite a few of them now) tend to be meeting places for dedicated robot hackers to hang out and exchange their latest projects, successes and failures, and share technical information about circuit, sensor, and motor hacks. Recently however, some of the posters have been showing a real sense of humor and creativity.
A very interesting Robosapien image was just posted on the French "Robosapien - le blog" weblog. We're not sure yet, since there is very little information included with the image, and what was included is all in French, but the image could hold some clues to the RSMedia robot design and features.
Tired by your mono-tone, plain vanilla robot? Have an uncontrollable urge to paint your Robopet to match your car, or your room? How about a three-tone, vivid Roboraptor? Or a . . .
First Robert Oschler wowed all of us by developing the Robosapien Dance Machine software that gave users the ability to control their Robosapien robot from their PC, and create action (dance) sequences. Then he raised the ante by adding voice recognition control. Now he’s in the process of expanding it yet again – this time to control all of the WowWee Robotics robots – and he’s allowed us to share a video with you that really shows off what his system can do.
CNN’s Renay San Miguel was at the CES show in Las Vegas last week, and one of his video segments included a short peek at both the new LEGO NXT system, and the WowWee Robotics Roboreptile in action.
Continue reading "CNN CES Video Coverage Includes LEGO NXT and Roboreptile" »
Attendees at the CES show have started to upload some of their photos to the flickr.com website. Scanning through the recently uploaded photos we found several photos of the P.E.A.Bot and Roboreptile (see list of links after the break.)
Pavel Petrovic and Richard Balogh have managed to figure out how to control a Robopet using IR signals they send from – are you ready for this? – a LEGO Mindstorms RCX roving robot! With a little encouragement and nudging from Robot Robert Roschler, the designer of the Robosapien Dance Machine, they not only managed to crack the code, they’re sharing it openly on their website.
One nice thing about the CES show is that exhibitors get bombarded over and over again by the press, analysts, and curious customers. So, as the show wears on, the exhibitors wear down, and sooner or later they let more and more information slip. . .
Mark Tilden, the inventor of the Robosapien, has a long standing relationship with Solarbotics, and is in regular contact with the staff there. He recently shared some information with Knitsu about the next generation robots that were sneak previewed at the CES show.
CES – the Consumer Electronics Show has turned into the premier PR event of the year. Be there, or be square. You’re either there with something new and amazing to announce, or the press assumes that your company is rapidly fading away. So it wasn’t surprising to hear that Wowwee Robotics was giving a ‘sneak preview’ at the show – though the robot designs that were previewed seem really puzzling. . .
Just before Halloween, Ken Finch shared two of his Robopet mods with us. One mod added a LED mode indicator to our favorite robot dog, while the other added a second IR detector so that you could operate the Robopet no matter which way it was facing. Since then, Ken got his hands on a brand new Robosapien V2, and . . .
One of mankind’s dreams has always been to fly like a bird – to take to the wind and soar over the treetops, free, without boundaries or limits. Another, perhaps stronger dream, has been to create something in mankind’s own image – like a robot. tf2psycho has creatively combined both of those eternal dreams into a great New Years Tribute.
The Robosapien V2 robot has been shipping for about six weeks now – long enough for some problems to start cropping up, and for users to experience some difficulties. Thankfully, WowWee seems to be paying attention to all the customer feedback. They created and posted an extensive troubleshooting guide on the V2 website.
The Robosapien V2 robot didn't start shipping in any quantity until just before Thanksgiving. Up until then most of the available information was pure speculation. But as soon as some of the dedicated hackers managed to get their hands on the early units the puzzle pieces started to come together.
Okay, Santa came, left the presents under the tree, and vanished up the chimney. You've unwrapped your new robot, installed a boat load of batteries, fumbled with the remote control, and finally managed to get it to perform well enough to wow and amaze your friends. So, what's next? Are you ready to try a real challenge?
Every good robot has a few secrets. The original Robosapien had quite a few, and discovering them kept hackers busy for months. Now Mark Tilden, via Knitsu, has revealed a few of the Robosapien V2 secrets. . .
Mark Tilden, the father of the Robosapien, Robosapien V2, Roboraptor, and Robopet was interviewed by The Gadget Show - a great technology television program broadcast in the UK. But viewers outside of the UK weren't able to watch, but dedicated Robosapien fans never let a little problem like that stand in their way. . .
Scott sent in what have to be the absolute best Robosapien V2 videos we’ve seen so far. He really puts the robot through it’s paces, and also includes one clip featuring interaction between the V2 and his Robopet.
Continue reading "The Best Robosapien V2 Videos So Far! (Video)" »
The Robosapien "army" has started to parachute into homes everywhere preparing for a massive Christmas eve invasion. Some of our field agents have managed to catch the first V2 soldiers in action on video and have filed reports.
Wouldn’t it be great if your Robosapien V2 could say more than just the canned jokes and noises it comes with? What if you could have it say your name? What if you could load it up with a whole bunch of your own phrases and jokes?
Continue reading "Elmo-Sapien: The Hack That's Just Waiting To Happen" »
We've had a lot of fun with the original Robosapien, fooled and scared our dog with the Roboraptor, and just this week our Robopet arrived and will keep us busy for the next month or so. But what's next on our wish list? The Robosapien V2 is one option, but there are other interesting robot choices facing us.
The RoboArmy’s on the move! We’ve already got outposts on three continents (is Oz a continent or just a big island? I forget), and the forces are massing. The RoboArmy even has it’s own dedicated SWAT team of deep RoboHackers.
How fast can a raptor run?
Apparently the answer is at the speed of light, or pretty darn close to it! That was demonstrated to us this Friday afternoon when a raptorlicious idea zipped from the US to Japan, out on to the internet, down to Australia, back out on to the internet, and back to Japan to hit us full in the face!
The "Official RSV2 Web Site" went live online on Halloween Eve. Hopefully the timing is a planned, and very positive omen for all the Robosapien fans that have been patiently awaiting the V2 unveiling.
With the first Robosapien V2 units just shipping it's way too early to really understand what they are capable of, much less put them in the ring to battle it out with other robots. Still, it's fun, and exciting, to consider how the V2 might do.
It seems like the European toy and gadget websites are going all out to promote the Robosapien V2. The JustToys website, for example, features three different videos, a neat 360 degree rotating view, audio clips, and lots of photos.
Continue reading "European Websites Going Gung Ho over V2" »
The Robosapien V2 press articles have talked about the robot being able to command and control both the Robopet and Roboraptor, but what does he make them do? Fetch the newspaper? Attack the mailman?
Jamie Samans, the author of the definitive book for the original Robosapien, already received his V2, and has posted two pages of great photos and commentary on his website.
There are lots of online reports of people actually receiving their V2 orders, so it looks like we're finally off to the races! From what we've seen in the early reports and recent videos - like this one from RoboNexus (Robosapien V2 - Pickup and Toss) the V2 is going to be outrageous.
Update - 10/21/2005: Some sources are shipping, and some aren't. Amazon's page now says it won't be released until February 1, 2006.
The Robosapien V2 product page on Amazon (ToysRUs) went live last night, and they are taking orders. They are currently quoting "Usually ships within 2 to 3 days from Toys"R"Us". We put our order in, and will report on its progress here.
[Thanks to Eeyorefan on the Robosapien Forums for the heads-up.]
Update - 10/21/2005: The Amazon page now says V2 won't be released until Feburary next year.
William Cox, the publisher of GoRobotics.net, captured an interesting video of the Robosapien V2 at the Robonexus convention last week. The video clip, included below, shows the V2 in action on an exhibitors table during the convention right in the midst of all the noise, distractions, and chaos that always occurs at any trade show.
Continue reading "New Robosapien V2 Video from Robonexus 2005" »
JustToys.com (U.K.) has a great webpage up featuring the Robosapien V2, with lots of great photos, detailed specifications, and two excellent video clips.
The FBI has their list of Most Wanted criminal suspects, Interpol keeps a similar list, so, why not have a Most Wanted robots list?
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Robosapien V2 , the latest gang member, is reported to tower over and intimidate his enemies. He has been known to toss objects around when provoked, and practices kung fu type moves with ease. |
Robopet does all the undercover work for the robo-gang. Often masquerading as a loveable pet, he can quickly shift his personality from huggable to hostile, frequently lifting his leg on unsuspecting victims. |
Roboraptor is the robo-gang enforcer, always on the alert with a keen ear for any tell tale sound or movement, ready to pounce. Although he has a beautiful smile, it masks a set of predator's teeth. |
Robosapien, the founder of the robo-gang and defacto robo-Godfather, has a very unusual, commanding way of walking. He often goes dancing. Beware, his trademark High-5 greeting can instantly turn into a karate chop. |
For some unknown reason - at least unknown to me - the Robosapien V2 is appearing on the Amazon website for pre-order in the 'Electronics' category while all the other Robosapien products are listed under toys. This may have something to do with the third party channels, like Toys 'R Us that use Amazon to reach a broader customer base.
We know, logically at least, that the Robosapien V2 is going to be considerably larger than the original Robosapien, and we can look at the published dimensions and get a rough feel for it. Still, when I ran across the side by side photo the relative size comparision literally blew me away.
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