HANDS ON REVIEW: IROBOT ROOMBA DISCOVERY 8.5 The good: actions are very cute; does funny tricks, nice size; nice range of movement and behaviors; good size for a toy The bad: as you would expect, its interactivity lacks the depth of more expensive robots;  not fuzzy The bottom line: Robopet is a well-made robotic toy dog and is a good value for the money. He should appeal to a range of people including kids and people who don’t care much for robots. He is the prettiest robotic dog, but you really should see him in action before you judge him. RoboPet is a small cute robot with a wide range of movements and personality traits. It's movement includes a variety of dog-like actions including rolling over, begging, wining and jumping. This robot's small size adds to it's cute personality to create an endearing and entertaining experience.  VIDEO FILES: AVI FILES ( "SAVE AS" TO YOUR COMPUTER, THEN PLAY )

First Impression

Robopet kind of grows on you. Although his packaging is attractive, his design isn’t as immediately appealing as the design of some of the other robots we have reviewed. He has a simple, skeletal look which is functional but not inherently cute. In short, he is not fuzzy. This is to say, he does not have the sweet approachable looks that some dogs have. Since Instead, Robopet reminds me of a bull-dog. His is much more cute when you see him in action.


Unpacking

Compared to other robots we have reviewed, Robopet is a breeze to unpack. A few clips of the scissors and some batteries and you are ready to go.

• Realistic Fluid, Biomechanical Movements - Walk, run, crawl, sit down, lie down, get up, roll over and more
• Exhibits Moods - Ranging from playful to naughty, curious, angry, depressed and rude
• IR Vision - Detects and avoids obstacles and table edges
• Sonic Sensors - Responds to human movements
• Digital Animal Sound Emission - Barking, whimpering, growling and panting
• 8 and Up

Out of all of the toy robots we have tested so far, Robopet had the most fluid movement and the most loveable personality. Like his real-life model, he seems eager to please and playful. He rolls over, begs, sit up, walks around, pretends to pee on things and many other cute robotic actions. Watching him roll over is very interesting and makes you appreciate the thought and effort that went into his design.

He makes all kinds of dog-like sounds which are especially effective to anyone who has spent time with a real dog. In this way, even though he doesn’t speak words, he communicates very clearly and is fun to interact with. In some ways, he was easy to play with and was more interactive than his goliath fellow robot, Robosapien V2. While it is clear that a lot of effort went into making Robosapien V2, it seems like Robopet more convincingly imitates his real life model in a consistent way.

Robopet’s size is also very nice. He is by far the smallest robot that we have tested but since he was made to be cute, it only adds to his personality. Even though he is small, he seems to be well-made with many moving parts and fluid movements. Unlike other smaller robots, he is not a cheaply made limited product which has been scaled down from a larger model.

Even though he is fairly well constructed, I wonder if some children may be able to break him do to him thin plastic legs. Still, when you consider his price of around $50 this doesn’t seem to be as much of a concern as a $200 robot. Given this, Robopet might make a good gift for a child as long as you don’t mind if it is broken or if you supervise the child while he or she plays with Robopet. Given how much fun Robopet is to have around, my guess is that some parents might find that they play with him as much as their kids do. He also makes a great little toy for your desk.

The remote control offers a nice degree of control over his various features.

Probably the most important thing is that Roboreptile is cute and endearing. He seems to try hard to please his owners and often he does.


Value

At the time of my writing this review, Robopet is currently $60. This is a great price for this little robot and he is a good value for this price. Given that most video games can cost between $40-$60, this toy seems appropriately priced. It may be more appealing to some parents to buy a toy like this for their children than to buy another video game.


Target Audience

This toy robot seems well suited to children (boys and girls) who are responsible enough to keep it out of harms way. It’s also a good toy for the office.


Bottom Line

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Robopet may not be as pretty as other robots we have seen but he has a lot of personality and he kind of grows on you.