Roboshop
Some say robots are going to take over the world. James Fryer checks out the latest metalheads in the hope we’re still on top in the war against the machines.
Whether it’s stories of huge comets blocking out the sun before plummeting to the earth, a paradigm shift in space and time following the clocks ticking their way into the new millennium, or predictions robots will overtake humanity in the race for intellectual and social dominance, there’s nothing futurologists and the clinically insane love more than making the hair on the back of our necks stand to attention. You’ve got to give them one thing though - there’s no doubting the fear-factor of our metal mouthed friends; think the ED-209 Enforcement Droid in Robocop, David, the desperate young Mecha in Stanley Kubrick’s AI, or the morphing T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and your nightmares will soon become swamped with visions of nuts, bolts and multicolored wires chasing you down a dark, smoky alley.
Robosapien V2
Once you get past the fort knox packaging and fork out for Dhs70 worth of batteries, you’ll soon realise version two of the popular techno-toy is a highly evolved model of its former self. The 24 inch tall bot sees, hears and feels the environment around him, reacts to music, recognises skin tones and avoids edges and obstacles. At least that’s the theory. Making him roar and watching as he loses his balance, putting your hand in front of his face to make him flinch and listening to him lose control of his bodily functions is endless fun. Mr V2 isn’t going to take over the world just yet, but is looking like he’ll be a faithful servant one day. Milk with two sugars please.
Roboraptor
Dinosaurs have returned to roam the earth in a 32 inch form with all the moodiness of a pre-adolescent teenager. Depending on whether it’s on the hunt, feeling nervous or in the mood for playing, the slinky prehistoric bot might just give off an impressive roar, whip its tail and grab your finger in its jaws. If there’s one ringmaster capable of taming the beast though, it’s Robosapien V2 to the rescue. Put the two together and watch Robosapien work his motorised magic.
Robopet
Robosapien’s mini-mate acts like it’s fresh from the streets of Dubai - it doesn’t behave very well and you’ll need to train it via the good dog and bad dog buttons on the controller. We’re impressed by its full array of fourlegged friend tricks and the fact we don’t need to leave the comfort of our desks to take it for walks. Saying that, we did let it wonder off only to hear a screech from someone it decided to cock a leg against. Talk about marking your territory. Yes, the stapler is mine.
Honda ASIMO
Unless you have a few hundred million dollars lying around, the much-talked-about ASIMO robot is likely to be a little out of your price range. Showcased at the Middle East Motor Show last month, ASIMO is the all singing, all dancing bot of the humanoid world. It’s 160cm tall, weighs in at 130kg, has a tough magnesium alloy body and boasts impressive humanlike flexibility and movement. If you’ve got broadband it’s worth checking out the videos at http://world.honda.com/asimo. In the race to take over the world, this one’s in pole position, and as our Robosapian V2 friend would say, ‘run for your lives!’