Review: Anki Cozmo programmable robot

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

There have been a slew of interesting consumer robot products which offer smartphone integration and remote control as well as the ability to be programmed. Anki’s Cozmo robot is an intriguing example of how far we’ve come.

A tiny robot that fits in the palm of your hand, Cozmo is surprisingly complex. Put of the box, the robot is charged in its own dock and controlled using a smartphone app. This is a typical approach but there’s layers of interaction. The more time you spend playing with Cozmo, the more points it earns which upgrade its personality and it skillset.

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Watch how Anki created the cool programmable Cozmo robot

Anki may be famous for its exciting Overdrive iOS-enabled racetrack sets but the company has put all of its brainpower and experience behing Cozmo, a delightful programmable robot that's smart enough to remember human faces as well as interact with cats or dogs. Cozmo isn't just a robotic toy, it is a serious tool for teaching coding and programming and has various sets of actions it can learn. We've just unpacked our review unit and are already quite amazed at the range of emotions and capabilities this small yet impressive robot has out of the box.

Hasbro outs robot kitty for the elderly

Hasbro has a new line of life-like robotic companions designed to keep elderly company. The first pet/creature out of the Joy For All line is a robot kitty that purrs and meows rather realistically. It has soft fur made for petting and it exhibits cat-like motions. It has sensors that allow it to interact with the owner. For example, if you pet the cheek, it will nuzzle into your hand. If you stop interacting with the cat, it will “fall asleep” and be woken up when you touch it again. Perhaps this will help preserve the four 1.5v alkaline batteries it runs on. The robot kitty comes in Silver, Creamy White, and Orange Tabby colors. It retails at US$99.99.

Maybe you think it’s a bit silly and weird to have a robotic pet. But this can help provide a companion for those who need it and can’t have any living pets around them. Plus, it cuts down on the other hassles of pet ownership, such as food and care costs and messy litter boxes. Well, you do have batteries to spend on, if you wanted to point that out. It might be geared towards the seniors but this is probably something even kids will enjoy playing with.

Source: SlashGear