Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Tomy’s i-SOBOT: The World’s Smallest Bot

And in the world of hobby bipedal humanoid robots: introducing the i-SOBOT, “the world’s smallest fully functional bot,” according to producer Tomy. The robot, at 6.49 inches tall and 350g, may look puny - but equipped with 17 servo motors throughout the body as well as a gyro sensor, the i-SOBOT can perform an impressive range of movements as well as speak and dance (but please, don’t ask him to do the robot).

The tiny bot is controlled via voice and remote control and can also serve as an interactive music player, responding to applause and other user commands. But what really caught our attention was i-SOBOT’s ability to do what we’d been waiting for: the mini-bot produces its own punching and kicking sound effects, meaning entertaining bot-on-bot combat is only a few tinkerings away. (They can even get in shape pre-battle - they’re programmed to do push-ups and move from sitting to standing without assistance.)


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