Roboreptile: Faster, Feistier, and More Coordinated

I'm a huge fan of the mass-market robots made by Wowwee Robotics. Sure, the Robosapien V2, Roboraptor, and the Robopet may feel like toys with their plastic bodies and over-the-counter battery powering, but they're pretty impressive little inventions for anyone willing to program custom moves into them or even do some hacking under the hood. (Wowwee has made a point of encouraging the subculture of Robosapien hackers that has emerged online.)

I was disappointed when I heard that RS Media, the MP3 player version of the dancing and talking bipedal robot, would not be available in the U.S. before the holidays (right now, it's only out in Europe). But earlier this month, Wowwee released something to tide me (and people I have to buy gifts for) over: The Roboreptile, which is a smaller, faster, feistier, and more coordinated version of the 2005's Roboraptor.

I have just spent the past weekend teasing/terrorizing my parents' dog (a male boxer who doesn't need much egging on in terms of spazzing out) with this creature. It's been a blast.

First off, the Roboreptile can walk in four different ways—slow or fast, on two legs or four. I'm impressed enough with the two-versus-four leg options, but the Roboreptile moves a lot faster than either Roboraptor or Robosapien (it really seems to glide across the floor). Also cool: This critter can stand up on its hind legs and jump around, which really scared the dog. ("Attack" and "shake" modes were also effective).

In addition to faster and more fluid movements, the Roboreptile can be programmed to automatically perform up to 20 different actions, one after the other.

My only complaints? I had to clap to get the stereo sensors to hear me and trigger a roar from the Roboreptile in "guard" mode. Now, what intruder is going to make that much noise? Maybe a dog intruder? Also, I wish it were less than $100 (it's currently listing for $120), given that that form factor isn't all that new.

But despite its (relatively) high price, and the fact that it's not RS Media, the Roboreptile is still a cut above its predecessor and will disappoint no one come holiday gift time, least of all your pets.