Robosapien V2 Review - with Video

Turismo writes "Ars Technica reviews the Robosapien V2, a two foot tall robot that can lie down, stand up, laugh, taunt, and bowl. From the article: 'The press release promises that he can bowl. Place the green plastic ball in his articulated fingers and the Robosapien V2 should grab it, wind up, and let the ball fly. He does grab the ball and he does wind up, and the first time you see it, you think your life might be about change. Now that robots can bowl, you think, it's only a matter of time before they can cook my breakfast, too.' Unfortunately, that day is still some ways off."

Comments

Who'd have thought

[Colin Smith]

The ability to bowl defining the level of intelligence. Homer would be proud.

I, Robosapien

[scottennis]

Is it 3 laws safe?

Ball grabbing

[GillBates0]

He does grab the ball and he does wind up, and the first time you see it, you think your life might be about change....

...as any sane man concerned about his personal well-being should be, when his scrotal sacs are being subject to a sudden pulling and potentially detaching action.

$249 and he can't even score 100?

[neonprimetime]

The first time, you make excuses. Well, I can't bowl, either, especially with other people watching, you think, but by the seventh attempt it's pretty clear--this Robosapien could bowl all night and still score no higher than zero.

Seriously, if I have to pay $249 for a bowling robot, I would want it to at least score 100+

Old News

[refitman]

The company I work for had these on sale for christmas 2005: http://www.maplin.co.uk/StoresRoboV2.asp.

How has this made it to the front page almost 9 months later?

Kids

[celardore]

Ars Technica reviews the Robosapien V2 [CC], a two foot tall robot that can lie down, stand up, laugh, taunt, and bowl.

Meh... Why not just have a baby? Oh wait, gotta get laid for that to happen. There could be a market for this!

We'll sing it again when the guitar comes 'round

[Tackhead]

(Share and enjoy! Share and enjoy the Pete Shelley 80s earbug!)

Wheels are rollin',
Robot bowlin'
Welcome our overlord,
Robosapien V2!

Mark the Tilden,
BEAM he's buildin',
I'm re-filkin',
Robosapien V2!

And I just hope and pray that $250 bucks are at hand,
You and I, me and you, Franklin Benjamins two and one Grant.
And this filk is still wrong and the price has gone up 50 bucks.
(And the JPGs and GIFs are now worse since this line rhymes with "fucks!")
I don't wanna moderate you like an Slashdotter in the zoo,
But it seems good to me to know we can all get Robosapiens too!

Robosuperior,
In my interior,
Still miss my Mindstorms, but
It's Robosapien V2,
(Next one'll cook your breakfast for you!)
It's your Robosapien V2!
And we're Robosapien toooooo...

Floor Sample

[JusticeISaid]

Robots may not be ready to cook breakfast, but they do a decent job vacuuming the house or cleaning the kitchen floor: http://www.irobot.com/.

Has some problems with object recognition

[Rorschach1]

I bought a RSV2 for my son. It has a bit of trouble walking around on carpet - especially if it needs to change directions - but it does ok. Every once in awhile, though, it'll decide my ugly green sofa is its bowling ball. It'll stand there grabbing the recliner handle and repeatedly try to lift the entire sofa. Thankfully it's not quite that strong.

Re:Has some problems with object recognition

[cecille]

Yeah, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed with V2 given how well V1 worked. I was expecting a little more. V2 can barely keep his balance at all on the carpet - he gets into almost a reveberation where every step causes him to sway further and further off balance until he flies right over. He can get up if he's on his back, but most of the time he face plants.

V1, on the other hand, was great. He looked like he was going to fall at some points, but he was as steady as a rock. In fact, I watched him win a battle or two with the cat even. When he turned, a light went on in his hand, which attracted the attention of the cat. The cat would chase the light right under the hand of the robot. The hand, of course, has sensors, and when the robot hits something, it yells "ouch". If the robot was still trying to walk as the cat was under its hand, it would repeately smash the cat with its sensor and yell "ouch" as if it was taunting it. Fantastic.

V2 didn't fare so well. We used to put him in front of the x-mas tree in guard mode to keep the cat out, but by day 3 the cat had figured out that he wasn't so well balance. We'd come downstairs to find the robot often face down on the carpet, still flashing its little lights, and the cat just sitting happily up in the tree.