Us at Botropolis aren’t typically a nostalgic bunch, but as the year comes to an end, we can’t help but take a look back at the notable robotic technologies of 2008. Some of my favorite robot news stories this year revolved around technosexuals like Zoltan, the man who crafted a robotic girlfriend for himself based on the A.L.I.C.E. language processing bot, and Le Trung, the man who created the “perfect woman” Aiko. And who can forget robotic nightmares like Big Dog, Boston Dynamics’ quadruped dogbot, Geminoid and Repliee, two examples of hauntingly lifelike bots, and that robot controlled by a blob of rat neurons. Yep, if 2008 was anything it was a harbinger of the robot apocalypse.
MIT’s Technology Review named a few other technologies as the most remarkable of 2008. They cite the growing presence of robots involved in medical procedures, minimizing the negative effects of surgery and allowing surgeons to perform complex procedures in less time and with reduced risk. The review also mentions nascent research relating to small robots that will be able to deliver drugs within the body. Military applications for robots have also been big this year, with entities like iRobot Corp and DARPA pouring millions into robomilitary research. 2008 has been filled with significant advances in the world of robotics and technology in general. Hopefully 2009 will see more medicinebots and sexbots and a few less killbots.

[Technology Review]

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that WowWee has done it again with Mr. Personality. The latest includes an LCD face and enough jokes to keep you entertained on a desert island. Max and Simon, this bot’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are said to be “well developed and play off each other perfectly.” Like I said about Tri-Bot, the reviewers noted that the omnidirectional wheels were “incredible,” the remote “simple and intuitive” and the sensor array was also impressive. Hit the link for more. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that we’ll be able to get review units on this guy and Rovio, to give you our own impressions.

[Robocommunity]

I wish I could say that I’ve never met a bot I didn’t like, but I’ve actually met several I don’t like. Thankfully Tri-Bot is one awesome robot, with a ton of nice features packed into his compact form. You’ve all seen him in various videos and pictures, but I have to say, this bot is twice as awesome in person. He’s a wise-cracking and highly energetic bot, which might make him seem like he would be annoying, but trust me, his personality will win you over as soon as you take him out of the box. Read on for the full experience.
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Kids love stuffed animals. Some adults too. In fact, many kids and older geeks have beds full of stuffed animals. It used to be that the closest you could come to owning a robotic animal was to buy one of those stuffed toys that would walk a few steps, bark, then power down. They weren’t cute, they weren’t lovable and you put them aside for good after like fifteen minutes.

The new WowWee Alive series will have kids hugging and sleeping and petting them for a good long time. I had a chance recently to get some hands on time with WowWee’s Panda Cub so I knew I would need a kid to see exactly how cool it was. So I employed said kid and shoved it into his little arms. I wasn’t sure if it would get better treatment then a regular stuffed animal or not. Long story short, it’s a hit with the kids. As I watched them playing with it and saw their amazed eyes alight at the fact that the Panda actually responds to them, I also was won over. The kids would not give it back and again, long story short, I was beat up by children and it made me cry at one point. I called my mom but she wouldn’t help. Basically, kids love it and you will never see it again.
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On the fence about whether or not you want to buy a WowWee Femisapien? Over at robotsrule they have a multi-page review that will help. It explores the bot’s interface, modes and behaviors, etc. The conclusion is that it’s a “blockbuster hit” that’s “destined to take over the world.”

[robotsrule]