Tri-bot and Rovio: New WowWee robots

By Rich Trenholm on 07 January 2008, 6:48am

This being CES, there's always space for some crazy robots. This wacky pair come courtesy of WowWee, the folks behind the RoboSapien. Tri-bot (pictured left) is a born entertainer, while the Wi-Fi enabled Rovio is a trusty guard.

RoboSapien also gets a girlfriend, called FemiSapien. WowWee showed off some highly realistic plush animalbots in their Alive range as well, but frankly they just creeped us out. How long before we see electric sheep?

Tri-bot is a red robot with animated eyebrows and no immediate plans to crush puny hu-mans, preferring to chundle about, cracking jokes or playing games. Tri-bot is yours for a very reasonable $99.99 (£50).

The Rovio is more serious. It packs a webcam on an extending arm, as well as three-wheel go-anywhere drive. It is controlled from within your Web browser, meaning that you can remotely operate it from any location. This makes it the ideal guard dogbot, if you're willing to shell out $299.99 (£150).

You can program set paths for the Rovio to follow around your house, so it can perform circuits looking for snoopers and prowlers. The webcam arm allows you to see things from a different perspective than floor level.

Charging is no problem, even when you're away from home -- say you're in Las Vegas, writing about robots. The charging base station gives out two points of light, so the Rovio can always detect where it is and automatically return to base for a much-needed rest. Similar to how Cravers recharge, except without the falling asleep on a night bus. Expect more robotic antics when CES opens properly on Monday. -Rich Trenholm