You’ve seen Wow Wee products even if you don’t know it. That’s the company that’s into robotics. They make the Roboquad, a four-legged spider-like robot that can follow objects, dance and turn when faced with an obstacle. They also make the Alive Elvis, which sings and dances and moves an Elvis Presley-like mouth authentically in a truly spooky manner. Then there’s the Roboraptor, the Robosapien, the Dragonfly…

But these are not exactly the kind of cuddly robots you might want to give to a kid who loves his soft toys. That’s why I was thrilled to find out the company will be introducing a new line this summer, which I had the chance to pet at CES.

These cutie-pie creatures are all animal babies — big heads and fluffy bodies. But when you stroke their heads or necks, they start cooing and looking up at you with adoring eyes. They also open and close their mouths while making mewling sounds and moving their heads around like affectionate cats.

Forget the dog I was planning to get in the next couple of years. I’m going to load up on rechargeable batteries for my kid’s pet fix.

Posted on January 27th, 2008 by dian