Robopet - Advice, comparisons, news, reviews and prices.

This skinny robotic pet (it might be a dog or a cat) has a couple of features that will really impress you. The best is the ability to learn from positive and negative reinforcement. Another one is the lifelike animations and digital animal sounds that make the Robopet extremely expressive.

It can perform a series of simple tricks including the ability to sit up on its hind legs, lying down, rolling over, begging and howling!

Robopet is easily programmed with a remote to perform sequences of movements and tricks. Robopet walks, crawls, sits down and stands up, runs and jumps. Some of his movements are controlled by you, but others are autonomous, creating the effect of your four-legged friend. Sonic and motion sensors even allow him to respond to sounds and human movements!

Multi-sensors allow Robopet to be aware of his surroundings, triggering new moods and behaving like a real, well trained dog. It's able to avoid obstacles, respond to sounds. Even function as a guard dog! You can also take him for a walk: use the 'laser' light leash on the controller to mark a path for Robopet to follow.

It not only moves like a real pet, it also thinks like one too, displaying various moods including playful, naughty, curious, angry, rude and even depressed. You can train him, because it responeds to positive and negative reinforcement. But be careful: Praise him too much and you'll spoil him, Punish him too much and he'll become timid. The way Robopet responds to sound alters according to his mood, as do the sounds he makes, from barking to growling, whimpering and panting.

As with Robosapien and Roboraptor, Robopet is programmed and controlled via a nifty RC unit that allows you to 'teach' him special tricks, sequences and moves.

It sure is a fine toy, but after a while you will get bored with it. And then you realize that it's really better then a real pet - you can just turn it off and put it into your garage. Try to do the same thing with a real pet...