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The Xiaomi CyberDog is an awesome vision of our creepy smart home future
I got to play with Xiaomi's weird robot dog prototype
Xiaomi first introduced its Boston Dynamics Spot-like prototype quadruped robot in August 2021. While it hasn’t exactly conquered the world since then, it did have a lot of appearances at trade shows and Xiaomi events alike. In fact, I got to greet Xiaomi’s CyberDog at both MWC 2022 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro launch event alike, and it has definitely made an impression on me.
Make a robot clean up your mess with up to 44% off Roborock vacuums in Amazon's Deal of the Day
These deals don't suck
Nobody likes vacuuming, but everybody thinks robots are cool — especially robots that help clean up around the house. For today's deal, Amazon is offering up Roborock robotic vacuums for up to 44% off, including models that even perform mopping duties.With prices ranging from $188.99 to $419.99, there should be a Roborock robotic vacuum for almost every budget. The cheapest model on sale, the E4, comes with a 5,200mAh battery that lets it run for over three hours on a single charge and a 640ml dustbin so it can last longer between emptyings. All the options on sale have 2000Pa suction power and can be controlled via an app on your phone or by Alexa voice commands. The higher-end options take cleaning to the next level by including mopping capabilities.
I'm scared of Roomba's new AI-powered robot vacuum
iRobot says the new Roomba can 'evolve and get smarter over time'
As our phones continue gaining new AI-powered features like Google Duplex and kiss detection, it was only a matter of time before our vacuums followed suit. The company behind Roomba, iRobot, is introducing its new Roomba i3+ today, and it's a vacuum that can "evolve and get smarter over time." That's cool, but — excuse me while I go barricade my door in preparation for the robotic vacuum uprising.
The Sphero RVR all-terrain tank robot is marked down to $145 at Amazon
A lot cheaper and more educational than buying an actual offroader
If you're bored at home right now, Sphero may just have the answer. The robotics company is responsible for all sorts of fun distractions; from R2-D2 to Lightning McQueen, there's a robo toy for folks of all persuasions. And right now, its all-terrain tank robot vehicle, the Sphero RVR, is on sale at Amazon.This robot may be diminutive in size, but it's still an all-terrain programmable tank-style vehicle that comes complete with color sensor, light sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope. A powerful motor, all-terrain treads and high torque make it perfect for exploring the backyard, and there's a protective roll cage for when your offroading gets extra offroad. The removable and rechargeable battery delivers plenty of juice to power RVR and any projects added to it.
Sphero first burst onto the scene in 2011 with an adorable spherical robot that could be controlled with a smartphone. Since then, the company has released all kinds of unique products based on this concept, like these Star Wars robots, a Lightning McQueen RC car, and the Bolt. Right now, you can snag one of Sphero's more ambitious products, the Sphero RVR, for 2.34 (.65 off) at Amazon.Unlike Sphero's original robotic orb, the RVR features a tank-like design with four wheels, all-terrain treads, and a high-torque engine. It also features a swathe of internal sensors, including an accelerometer, gyroscope, IR, color sensor, and light sensor. On top sits a removable roll-cage to prevent unwanted flips, while the rechargeable battery promises plenty of juice for excursions.
Google’s numerous side projects include plenty of experimental apps and services canceled before their time, and few get to live as long as Androidify has. Released in 2011, the quirky little app allowed you to customize the iconic green Android bot with clothes, shoes, and whatnots. Even though the app didn’t see an update after 2016, it persisted all this while alongside its web peer. But now, Androidify is gone from both the Play Store and web, probably for good.
If your 2020 resolution is to spend less time cleaning, it's time for you to get a robot vacuum; and you're in luck, as the Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 30 is on sale at just $153 on Amazon, which is $117 less than usual.
Anker is known for building reliable yet relatively affordable products. Its Eufy sub-brand focuses on delivering the same promise for smart-home appliances such as robot vacuums, mops, smart cameras, doorbells, light bulbs, and more. This Black Friday, you can save up to $100 on a range of robot vacuums and mops, with models as low as $180.VacuumsWhen it comes to robot vacuums, Eufy has a substantially large offering. Although not all of them are on sale this weekend, five are marked down, and you'll get to pick the one that's the most suited to your needs. Many of them have hit their lowest price ever, but some require you to apply an on-page coupon before adding them to your cart to benefit from the markdown.The 11S and 12 are amongst the slimmest models, but they don't have Wi-Fi in case you wanted to control them remotely. If connectively is important to you, go for the MAX versions, as both come with built-in Wi-Fi and high suction power. Lastly, if you'd rather prevent your robot vacuum from entering specific rooms, go for the 30 versions, as the two of them ship with boundary strips to restrict the device to a pre-set cleaning area.
As the name might suggest, Sphero's claim to fame is its sphere-shaped toy robots. These include the original Sphero, Sphero 2.0, Sphero Mini, BB-8, and BB-9E. The company has also been marketing some of its products towards education as STEM learning tools, particularly with the SPRK+.Sphero's latest product is another educational robot - the Bolt. It's a minor upgrade from the existing SPRK+, with a configurable LED matrix display, infrared sensors for communicating with other robots, and "more than two hours of continuous play."I think the Sphero Bolt is a well-designed product, but I'm not sure there's enough value to justify the $150 price tag, especially when it's only an iterative improvement over the company's existing robots.
A few months ago, I reviewed the Collectors Edition of Anki's popular 'Cozmo' robot. Cozmo was first and foremost a toy, but the app included a 'Code Lab' where owners could create simple block-based programs (Anki has even extended that in subsequent updates).After that review, Wonder Workshop asked me if I wanted to try out two of its toy robots - the 'Dot' and 'Cue.' Unlike the Cozmo, where coding functionality was more of an afterthought, programming is at the heart of the Dot and Cue. Almost all the activities you can do with these robots involve some level of coding, but they are accessible enough for most kids to get some enjoyment out of them.More and more parents are trying to introduce programming concepts to their children at a young age, and as such, robot kits like these are becoming increasingly common. So do Dot and Cue deserve the $79 and $199 asking prices, respectively? I think Dot is a great toy for younger kids, but Cue... not so much.
Back in September, I got to try out the Cozmo Collector's Edition, a re-release of the 'Cozmo' app-controlled toy from last year. I definitely enjoyed using it, but the high price point of $179 made it a tough sell for many. Now you can get the original version for $127, a savings of $53.
After a nearly 12-year absence, Sony announced the return of the aibo robot pet. The new model of aibo, ERS-1000, uses an unspecified 64-bit quad core CPU, in addition to a variety of custom-developed actuators and sensors allowing aibo to move freely and interact with humans and the environment. The aibo can move its body along 22 axes, and can provide visual cues with OLED-display eyes. Four microphones and a speaker facilitate audio input and output, and two fisheye cameras with simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) capabilities allow it to detect objects, in much the same way self-driving car technology works.
Robots on Kickstarter or Indiegogo usually are slow-moving and expensive products, with little or no real utility. I don't think 'Aire' is anything different, but it's certainly... special. For $699 (or $749, once the base tier runs out), you can have the privilege of owning a hovering upside-down lampshade with the Alexa voice assistant built-in.
When I was young, I absolutely loved toy robots. I remember having a particular fascination for toys from WowWee, like the 'Robosapien' and the 'Roboraptor.' I managed to convince my parents one year to get the Roboraptor for my birthday, which I still own to this day. It was pretty basic by today's standards (the most advanced part of it was the IR sensor), but it was awesome at the time.A few years later, I got my hands on the second-generation LEGO Mindstorms NXT. It was a robotics kit with pieces like IR sensors and motors, but it used LEGO's standard 'Technic' pieces. I have fond memories of going through LEGO's online gallery of user creations and trying to replicate the designs, and downloading other people's programs (like a version of Pong that was playable on the tiny LCD).Today's toy robots are obviously much more advanced, with a great example being Sphero's recent Bluetooth-controlled BB-8. Another example is Anki's Cozmo, a robot with an immense amount of personality. The company announced a 'Liquid Metal' Collector's Edition earlier this year, and sent me a review unit to try out. I never got a chance to try out the original, but the Cozmo Collector's Edition is pretty great.
Robots are cool and, when designed and executed properly, robots can be quite endearing and awesome. But at $2800 a pop with very little added benefits, this one is definitely straddling the line to absurd territory.
Cozmo, which is unfortunately unrelated to Cozmo Kramer, is a fairly popular interactive toy robot. It can stack tiny blocks, play games, and be controlled like a typical RC car. If you've been waiting to try it out, you can now buy Cozmo off Amazon for $152.99, a $27 reduction from the usual price.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyyXfgrcoZ4[/EMBED_YT]Out of the box, Cozmo comes with three game cubes (seen in the video above), the robot itself, and a charger. The main selling point is that Cozmo has a personality, which reminds me of M-O from Pixar's WALL-E. There's also a companion app for Android, which is used to help train Cozmo and perform other tasks.If you get bored of the robot's built-in functionality, and you're halfway decent with Python, you can use the beta Cozmo SDK to program new abilities. You can buy Cozmo off Amazon at the source link below.Source: Amazon
It can be hard to keep up with all the major voice assistants - Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana, Alexa, the list goes on. SoundHound, perhaps best known for its music recognition app, has been working on its Hound voice assistant since 2015. At CES, SoundHound announced they have partnered up with Onkyo and Shenzhen to produce Hound-powered speakers and robots, respectively.
We are less than a week out from Christmas, so you procrastinators better get going on gift shopping. Luckily, Best Buy has you covered for the tech geek on your list. The electronics retailer is offering the Sphero Ollie robot for $49.99. which is a nice $50 savings.
To say that Disney is milking their acquisition of the Star Wars franchise would be an understatement. With Rogue One just a few weeks away, anything Star Wars is going to be popular in sales. Sphero's BB-8 remote controlled droid has been a fan favorite since its release and now it's on sale for $100, saving you $30.The little robot can be controlled via an Android app and a new wrist controller. It responds to your voice and the most recent Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. So he can be your best friend while you prepare for the newest entry into the franchise.This is one of the lowest prices for BB-8 to date, and he is well worth the money. The deal is good over on Amazon so get going!Source: Amazon
Do you want to keep your Galaxy S7 edge's glass back free of cracks? Want to cover up some blemishes on the back of your OnePlus 3? The "robot-run," Lamborghini-owning skin company is no stranger to releasing eccentric new materials; in the past few months, the company has released Concrete and Hyperblack Titanium. Now, after a not insignificant amount of teasing, it's taken the wraps off of Marble, alongside a 30% discount.