When we were kids, we loved Terminator 2… but the movie lost a little of its appeal when it started happening for real. When manufacturing robots came out, everyone was like, “oh, great, this giant metal arm can build a lot more cars than my flabby, normal-sized arms.” The People rejoiced…Well, except for the humans who worked on the factory floor, because they were now the obsolete models.

But then came calculating robots, humanoid robots, and dancing robots… how far off before they make robots that roam the streets taking the lives of anyone unlucky enough to be out after curfew… Then we’ll long for the days when the only thing the robots took were our jobs!

So, we invoke the old adage, “if you can’t beat them, buy an early model and program it to protect you against its mechanized brethren.” (Shakespeare said that.)

And that’s why we’re featuring the latest robot design from one of our favorite toy designers SkyNet WowWee. Their RoboMe promises to be a popular toy this holiday season, with technology so advanced, it makes Tickle Me Elmo seem like an abacus.

For starters, it connects to your iPhone or iPod Touch (the website uses the word “fusion,” which doesn’t help our accusations that they’re creating killer robots). This unholy union gives the RoboMe capabilities other toy androids can only dream about, along with electric sheep. With the iDevice as its head, it gives users the option of customizing the face displayed on the screen… keeping in mind it might just be the last thing you ever see.

The added functionality also lets you choose a personality for the RoboMe… meaning you get to choose what facial expressions it makes, what it does with its body, and even what it says. For example, you can make it dance after it shakes hands, or you can make it run away when you shout, “John Connor’s coming!”

And talk about self-aware, RoboMe’s extensive sensor network lets it navigate a room without bumping into everything. It’s more graceful than our clumsy human sister! And if you want it to bump into things (because you’re less into a robot-butler and more into a robot-slave), you can always override his free will with the included remote control.

But our favorite gizmo our future master offers is its telepresence. If you have access to a second iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you can connect to RoboMe to see and hear what it does – and still command it. We’re talking actual avatar/spy tech/nanny cam technology here!

This is one gadget that everyone’s going to want this year! The only technology it doesn’t have is the ability to time-travel… not yet, anyway…

Shut Up and Take My Money: WowWee RoboMe

Sphero is a lot like a small pet.  They both roam around the house.  They both make your smile.  And they’re both terribly cute.  But it’s time to face facts: Fido doesn’t come with Bluetooth.

Point, Sphero!  The newest and most original gaming system to date sets itself apart by thinking outside the TV box.  Sphero is a robotic ball encasing a gyroscope, accelerator, and lots of other fun stuff that the player (or players) control with their Android or iOS devices.  Speeding around at up to 3 feet per second at a range of 50 feet, this gaming device is a huge leap forward from that stationary Nintendo robot from the 80s.

With over 20 apps already available and more on the way, Sphero has much more sophisticated tastes than just “fetch.”  Some games utilize rolling the Sphero around the floor – the ground-breaking Sharky the Beaver incorporates your mobile device’s camera feed to replace the robot ball with a cartoon beaver, so you can see what your home would look like with a 3d cartoon waltzing around.  Other games use Sphero as a controller, placing in your hands a sort of multidimensional steering wheel.

So move over, Rover!  There’s a new ankle-biter in town, and this one doesn’t need you to clean up after it!

Sphero Is Better Than Your Flesh-and-Blood Pet