Cute, but not cuddly robot will be the company's most charming and interactive part of its 2007 line.
One of the highlights of AI, Steve Spielberg's melancholy look at robots in the distant future, was a little autonomous robot bear, "Teddy," that served as friend and companion to the film's main character David the "mech" boy robot. The bear could walk, talk interact and show real intelligence and affection. Now Wow Wee is apparently ripping a page from that movie's script to introduce the new Robopanda.
Part of Wow Wee's 2007 line of robot toys, the $229 Robopanda is swathed in plastic instead of cuddly fur, and is roughly 19.5 inches tall (standing), 11 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Wow Wee officials, however, promise a level of robot/human interaction scarcely seen in previous robot toys.
Designed for children (and, perhaps, adults) ages 4 and up, the 8-pound Robopanda will be covered with eight touch sensors and, using infrared and stereo sensors, should be able to avoid obstacles, track objects and locate sound sources. It will also tell stories and recognize and interact with its own companion: a plush-panda toy that will ship with the robot.
The robo-mammal will also feature, Wow Wee execs said, "incredible movement," using its nine "ultra-quiet" motors (and one tilt sensor) to sit, crawl, walk (on all fours), roll over and hug. Unlike previous Wow Wee robots, Robopanda is not expected to ship with a remote. Its artificial intelligence may also be greater than previous Wow Wee products: "Robpanda responds with mood-specific behaviors…based on [user] interaction," Wow Wee notes in a recent press release.
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