Robonica Roboni - I Programmable Gaming Robot

by ROBONICA

Product Features

• The first Robotic Gaming Platform
• Hi-tech, programmable robot with personality
• Customizable behavior and game accessories
• Interactive controller featuring ZigBee technology
• Sensors include 16 infrared, 2 touch, and RFID

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.9 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B002SG6JWM
• Item model number: 2468
• Manufacturer recommended age: 13 years and up
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #18,485 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Meet Roboni-i, a highly-intelligent robot that fuses interactive, remote-controlled gameplay with advanced robotic technology. Operated wirelessly using a handheld controller and featuring four processors and 16 sensors, Roboni-i can sense and respond to his environment, explore the room on its own, and even engage in games with other Roboni-i units. A great toy for young robotics enthusiasts, Roboni-i can also be linked to your computer, allowing to reprogram his behavior and upload customized games.

Roboni-i Robotic Gaming System Ages: 13+ Requires: Roboni-i: 6 x AA batteries Mobile controller: 4 x AA batteries BaseStation: 2 x AA batteries System Requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7 CD-ROM drive

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Cutting-edge robotics technology; intuitive RC controls; customizable robot behaviors The Challenging: Robot is a bit too jittery when left alone; editing programs require some technical savvy In a Nutshell: Highly advanced, interactive robot toy, ideal for older children and robotics enthusiasts

Roboni-i senses his environment using infrared and touch sensors. View larger.

The controller features an intuitive design and an LED screen where you can view your Roboni-i's status. View larger.

Cutting-Edge Robotic Technology
With his futuristic architecture and space-age silver color, Roboni-i would fit right at home in a science fiction movie. He features a durable plastic chassis that protects his intricate inner technology.

Inside of Roboni-i are 12 infrared sensors, which the robot uses to sense his surroundings, "talk" to other robots and communicate with the included BaseStation. He also features highly-sensitive touch sensors on his front and back bumpers, allowing him to sense even the slightest physical contact.

When Roboni-i senses something, he responds immediately by executing complex behaviors. For instance, if he collides with a wall, he'll whistle with displeasure, turn around, and proceed in the opposite direction. If he spots his BaseStation or another Roboni-i unit, he might fire off his laser. If left by himself for more than 30 seconds, he may even begin to explore the environment on his own. He'll always remain near his BaseStation, though, so you don't have to worry about him wandering off by himself.

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Fast, Nimble Remote-Control Action
With a full, 360-degree range of motion, Roboni-i is incredibly agile. You control Roboni-i using a comfortable handheld controller, which communicates wirelessly with the robot. The controller's LCD screen displays various aspects of the robot's status, such as his level of "happiness," his battery life, current game mode, and so on.

The robot is surprisingly fast, and he's even capable of stunts and loops. Keep in mind that his plastic frame houses complex electronics, so don't get too wild with your stunts. He's by no means an all-terrain vehicle and is best driven on a hard, flat surface.

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Roboni-i features the latest in robotic toy technology. View larger.

Loaded with Personality
Roboni-i isn't just a mindless automaton that you control. He is a moody, sensitive robot that seems to have a mind of his own! He is at his happiest when he gets lots of attention, and when he is in close vicinity to his BaseStation.

If you switch his BaseStation off or move it out of reach, he will have a robotic "freak-out" and begin frantically searching for it. When he's in a good mood, he will randomly fire off his laser, run away and "hide" from you, and perform other playful acts.

When you pay close attention to Roboni-i, you earn "RoboTX" levels -- a measure of how much your robot trusts you. As you earn more and more RoboTX levels, your robot will gain access to more advanced actions and movements. This is a fun feature that allows your robot to grow dynamically with you as its owner. However, it also requires you to invest time in playing with your robot in order to get the most out of the toy.

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Roboni-i can engage in multiplayer gameplay with other Roboni-i robots. View larger.

Interactive Single- and Multi-Player Games
The feature that distinguishes Roboni-i from other robotic competitors is its ability to participate in real gameplay and multiplayer games with other Roboni-i owners. To set up a multiplayer game, the robots must "join" each other in a group so they will be able to identify each other. Once this happens, you're free to interact with other Roboni-i units and play games with them.

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Reprogram Roboni-i with Your Computer

Edit Roboni-i's behavior with your PC. View larger.

Using the included Command Center program, you can customize the way your Roboni-i reacts to different stimuli. The program is very easy to use, although it does take some degree of computer competence (which younger kids may not have.) A drag-and-drop menu lets you easily program your robot to reverse, spin around, crabwalk, flash its activity LEDs, and more. The program also comes with a comprehensive tutorial, making it easy to learn how to use your robot.

The Command Center program is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7. It is backed by a 1-year limited warranty.

Roboni-i's PC-based Command Centre Screen Shot
The Command Center features extensive tutorials. View larger.	Roboni-i's mission is to defend the world from approaching asteroids. View larger.	Roboni-i's story is told through CGI-rendered movies, which you can view on your computer. View larger.

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What's in the Box
Roboni-i Robot, Base Station, Energy Port with Pod (Ball), Uni-hubs (3), SFX Hub, Controller, Software, Seven Games, USB Cable.

From the Manufacturer

Meet Roboni-i: a unique fusion of interactive gameplay and real world robotics. Roboni-i is an intelligent robot with attitude – fully programmable and loaded with single-player games, multiplayer games and includes exclusive access to the Roboni-i Virtual World. With its nimble 360º movement, 4 processors and 16 sensors, it can navigate on its own, avoid obstacles, and interact with its environment and other robots. Customize your robot by programming his behavior to give your Roboni-i its own personality and moods. You can even create your own games or download games others have created. Welcome to the rise of robotic gaming: A new era of gaming starts now.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to programming for kids and adults alike..., November 24, 2009

By	Mahlers2nd "Mom of Many Interests" - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Robonica Roboni - I Programmable Gaming Robot (Toy)

(What's this?)

EDIT: The price has come down significantly and this still continues to be so much fun in our house that we have just purchased a 2nd one so we can have the robots go after each other than tormenting the poor dogs!

I really didn't know what to expect when I ordered this. However, I liked the idea that it was a way to potentially introduce my son to programming instead of teaching him how to write "Hello World" in PERL.

This is a really cool gadget -- It looks cool so that kids are automatically drawn to it -- particularly since it moves so fast (your pets will be rather wierded out too -- that's worth the entertainment right there).

While it comes with 3 pre-programmed games out of the box so that you can get up and running with Roboni quickly, once you have explored the capabilities, you can reprogram using the software interface on the PC. This teaches kids a lot about how computers work -- that goes much further than having kids simply be "users" but "programmers".

This comes with a price... it is not an intuitive quick-and-easy process to re-program the robot -- just like with real programming you have to have some sort of plan about what you want to do and implement. In addition, you (or whoever is programming the robot) will have to learn about testing and "unintended consequences" associated with re-programming the robot. But if you or your kid is into puzzles, they'll quickly become hooked with tinkering and making the robot do what they want. They learn patience and problem solving.

It is clear that the product was rushed to market trying to capitalize on Christmas and Holiday sales. The online features are not implemented yet (teaching kids about another realistic component of technology -- the concept of "vapor-ware"!). I have had the software crash several times (i'm running on under XP -- I haven't tried running under Vista).

In addition, be prepared to buy stock in the battery companies because this toy EATS batteries -- not only initial upfront number of batteries -- but the battery life you do get is not impressive.

Whether or not this Robot will be a hit in your home will depend on many factors:

1. How tech and programming savvy are you -- you will need to spend a lot of time working with your kid to learn all the ins and outs of the technology. This is not the type of toy you just hand over to your kid and they play with like many computer games.

2. Are you willing to invest in a second robot? Kids have seen "robot wars" on TV and their first impulse "I want to fight someone else".

3. Do you have the type of kid who really enjoys puzzles and wants to know how to make things work? If they are more interested in just "playing" rather than "controlling/understanding" in their games and activities, then they are probably going to get frustrated and bored pretty quickly. In addition, becoming proficient with the remote control will take some time, patience and coordination.

4. Do you mind toys that make noise? Then this will probably get on your nerves after awhile. As another reviewer pointed out -- you can't control the volume setting and the sounds aren't exactly "music to your ears". (however, if you have a relative that has given you a particularly annoying noisy toy and you have vowed revenge -- this may be the perfect "payback" toy!)

5. Do you have the patience and money to keep the batteries stocked and charged? To me, this is one of the biggest downfalls of the Roboni -- eating batteries like candy personally drives me nuts. This toy/gadget already costs a lot of money. Batteries are expensive too and if you are in the middle of doing something, it is frustrating to have to stop to either recharge batteries or because you are 1 short of the number needed to get this thing going again...

Overall, I think this is really cool -- but I have loved programming and robotics from my first class 20 years ago in college. I like to know how things work. But be prepared that it is still a new technology and all the issues that will go along with that. And if this DOES trip your trigger -- be prepared to buy a second one!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ROBOT with an attitude!, November 28, 2009

By	rbhatta "rbhatta" (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Robonica Roboni - I Programmable Gaming Robot (Toy)

(What's this?)

Robotics runs in our family, My Wife teaches Robotics to kids 5-8 grade, my daughter 13yr old obviously is completely involved in this, she and her team are now in regional level First LEGO League competition (FLL 2009) which involves building functional robots using LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 (8547) kit. This year's theme is all about Smart Transportation.

Having given the background, let me share the experiences with ROBONI-I

Roboni-I Programmable Gaming Robot is a "TOY" that can introduce your child into world of gaming and robotics at the same time teaches your child some concepts of programming; it has good education value and hours of engagement and fun for the whole family.

Robotics is an expensive hobby for most, Roboni-I is no exception, however, this is truly the first attempt from any company to commercialize robotic gaming and the future surely looks bright for this company as my daughter already given me a thumbs up for this robot! And soon many will follow as she shares this information for others in the school and her FLL team.

Roboni-I Programmable Gaming Robot can be really enjoyed the best when you pair with your friend or against a team of players controlling other robots as the robots are designed to communicate with each other.

The Robot construction is truly space age with gears and wheels and has tons of sensors that provide feedback to the robot. I will not go over the specifications as you can find that on the website and product manuals.

Roboni-I uses tons of AA batteries, total of QTY 12, before even you start using the product I strongly recommend buying heavy duty Sanyo 2,700 mAh AA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries (4-Pack)

Software installation was hiccup free for me when compared to others seen here; I have an older Windows XP (SP3) based Laptop which was used for this task, as the drivers are not "WHQL" certified and digitally signed it will give you warning during installation. If you abort the process the Robot will not be recognized by the software provided. If you run into that situation, re-install the software with Robot connected to your PC via provided USB cable and install the drivers that are not digitally signed.

It is a very agile robot with very high degree of flexibility in motion, Agree with others here that it is bit on the "noisier" side, but hey! It is a toy and this one has attitude too :-)

The robot can be programmed and his behaviors can be changed from the control center software and can be told to do different actions, At this time of the review, we have not fully mastered the control center commands yet and we will update the review once we are able to program the Robot to do other activities.

The Online World as advertised by Roboni-I is not operational yet, when you try to register your Robot Online to play against other robots online it says "Under Construction "...

This clearly shows that [...] has rushed this product out the door to capture the holiday shoppers without fully delivering the features promised on the product, But If they keep up their promises I am sure it will be accepted by the community as there are always some hurdles to overcome when you launch a new age of technology online.

The included accessories will provide days of fun for any robot enthusiastic person, while the instruction manual is very basic, the software has good instructions about the things one can do with the Robot. It is little too overwhelming at first, but I am sure kids can easily learn to get over the Menus with little practice.

PROS:

[+] Fully functional ROBOT right out of the box
[+] Very agile and can do lots of tricks for you.
[+] Good set of accessories included
[+] Plastic but sturdy construction

CONS:

[-] Online world is not available yet
[-] Needs a lot of AAnbatteries
[-] Drivers are not WHQL certified and digitally signed.

While this is not as robust and fully supported by community as LEGO Mindstorms, Roboni-I provides a different type of educational and gaming experience for kids especially for the competitive minded. Roboni-I's greatest advantage is that it comes fully ready to use when compared to LEGO Mindstorms kit and your child can start enjoying the robot out of the box and when he or she gets bored with the included games, the programming aspects and future ONLINE gaming experience will keep your child busy educationally and intellectually for months to come.

It is a decent buy, Make sure you get two of them for competitive robot gaming!

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not ready for the 2009 holiday season, November 23, 2009

By	William W. Davis "famousdavis" - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Robonica Roboni - I Programmable Gaming Robot (Toy)

(What's this?)

Length:: 6:53 Mins

Don't buy this product; it's not ready for the 2009 holiday season. Do yourself and Amazon Customer Service a favor, and look elsewhere so you don't have to deal with Christmas morning disappointment and re-packing the Roboni-i for a return trip back to the Amazon warehouse.

I've just spent my entire night trying to get the software to install on any one of three different computers in my home, and all have been unsuccessful (11/24/09 update - I finally got it to install on an XP desktop). During the installation process, Windows warned me that the device drivers that the Roboni-i was trying to install were not certified with Microsoft -- proceed at your own risk, if you dare. I installed the drivers anyway, but launching the software on my Windows Vista laptop gave me a nasty error message ("Could not load file or assembly 'System.Data.SqlServerCe, Version=3.5.1.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89845dcd8080cc91' or one of its dependencies."). I tried uninstalling/reinstalling and got the same error message.

On Windows 7, I had a "better" experience: I didn't get the error message, but instead I got a mostly blackened Command Center screen with two textboxes where I was supposed to enter something, but the textbox labels didn't render properly, leaving me to wonder what, exactly, I was supposed to enter? First and last name, maybe?

Trying to install the software on my old XP desktop had the best success. I still got the driver install warning from Windows, but at least I could see the textbox labels when opening the Command Center (I'm supposed to enter my own nickname and the name for my robot). Okay, but when I tried connecting the robot to the computer via USB, the robot very loudly started beeping and moving about, so I had to hold it in one hand while I tried clicking "Register" in the other! Worse, the computer failed to properly connect with the robot, and because the robot kept shaking and beeping so LOUDLY, I ran the risk of waking all four children and my wife who were already in bed. Forget it!

Okay, I'm an IT worker, and I'm used to buggy software. So I hit the Web for some answers -- surely I'm not the first to encounter this kind of problem. But Robonica is a brand-spanking new company, and there is virtually nothing on the Internet that will help you solve any problems you encounter. Robonica's website doesn't even have a Support page link! No FAQs! No Knowledgebase! Yes, you're the first one to own a Roboni-i, and now you get to be the first one to debug all of its problems. (And how much did you pay for that privilege?). There was an email address for the North America office, so I've emailed them my problems. I'll gladly re-edit my review as the problem-resolution process unfolds. (11/26/09 update: Stupidly, Robonica has a Troubleshooting guide embedded in their software -- including troubleshooting steps to take if you can't install the software! Now, if you can't install the software in the first place, how are you going to see the Troubleshooting guide??? This should be available on their website instead).

Did I mention this robot is loud? There is no volume switch or mute switch on the robot, so get used to the LOUD beeps and whistles this thing makes. Get used to the clattering and shaking and other robotic noises. If you ever get the software to work properly, maybe you can programmatically turn down or turn off the sound. One can only hope so. (11/24/09 update: the software *can* mute or lower the robot's volume level).

I usually start my reviews with an Out-Of-Box experience. Upon opening the Amazon carton, my first impression with the Roboni-i package was, "Wow, it seems like they're asking a lot of money for something that looks like a space-age remote control toy." Note: The whole kit takes 12 AA batteries, so either stock-up beforehand, or, better yet, buy rechargeables. The packaging includes a color, 8x11 Quick Start (always nice) and a larger, black-and-white poster with 26 sections covering how to install the batteries, robot personality (yes, the robot can be "happy" or "angry"), and other functions. The product only comes with a 90-day warranty -- seems short for something this expensive.

Roboni-i is clearly designed for boys, not girls. The product literature refers to him with masculine pronouns. It makes sense, too: this robot is loud and likes to shoot things with its "laser" gun (not a real laser, just harmless infrared light). Boys might be disappointed that the red laser light depicted on the product literature doesn't really exist. The upside? Your curtains won't catch fire.

I've got four kids (7 to 13), so they all gleefully watched this robot light up and move about once we installed the 12 batteries. My 13-year-old son is really into robotics, so I let him lead the way in learning how to use one of the three pre-loaded games. He got the hang of it very quickly. The challenge is in using the robot's steering, which is very imprecise and hard to do...down right frustrating, actually. Press the left button on the control makes the robot turn to the left, the right button makes it turn to the right, and pressing both together propels the robot forward (or backward). The robot moves very briskly at only two speeds: 60% and 100%. Again, you probably can program it to run more slowly if you could get the software to work properly.

One-by-one, the interest level waned quickly. Soon, my 13-year-old son and I were the only ones left. My son quipped something very noteworthy: "This would probably be a lot more fun if you were playing with other people" -- meaning with other people who had the same robot, so you could enjoy multi-player games. I agreed with him. The trouble is, this is a very expensive robot -- how many parents of your kid's friends will pony up the same money as you did to buy their kid a Roboni-i, too?

Now, I'm writing this review on the strength of a single day living with this robot. But the holidays are upon us, and my experience today was much too reminiscent of Christmas 2008, when I bought my then-12-year-old son a LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 (8547) robot set. He opened that present with such glee -- it was the most expensive present he got last Christmas -- but the out-of-box experience was so bad, so frustrating, that he nearly shelved it away just like he did the Robosapian he got the year before (which was a total waste of money). Happily, my son overcame the obstacles of Day One with his Lego NXT set and he's enjoyed using that robotic system all year long. (Note: Lego NXT is now sold as a "2.0" release, and they've wisely swapped out the problematic sound sensor that gave my son such fits last Christmas). If you buy the Roboni-i, you're going to be disappointed on Day One that the software doesn't install correctly, and you'll waste precious hours on Christmas morning trying to salvage this toy in the eyes of your son. I'd hate for that to happen to you.

The Roboni-i may well be a terrific robot once the Robonica company irons-out the software glitches that keeps it from working correctly right out of the box. But why risk buying this robot when other choices are available? If you've *got* to have a Roboni-i, wait until next holiday season when someone else has worked out all these software kinks.

*** NOVEMBER 24, 2009 UPDATE

I figured out how to connect the Roboni-i to my XP-running desktop. To install, I firstly ran the installation CD. Then, I clicked-on the installed program, and connected the Roboni-i via USB cable. At that point, Windows began searching for drivers (I thought it did that during the installation, though??). I pointed Windows to the installation CD which was still the DVD tray, and the drivers appeared to install (again?). At that point, the computer and the robot could see each other. At best, it's a quirky installation process.

My 13yo son is exploring the software today. We watched an introductory video (pretty cool). The online world, however, is not yet available -- the webpage says it'll be operational in December 2009 (hopefully, no later than by December 24th!). My son did figure out how to mute or quiet the robot using the software (thank heavens!).

To the company's credit, I got a helpful response by the company, Robotica, within hours of my email query. Seems they know of a problem and are working on a solution for their software. In the meantime, they gave me a workaround solution that may help install the software on Windows Vista and Windows 7. I'll try it out.

When I first wrote my review, I gave it a 1-star review. I've bumped it up to 2-stars just because I can now at least use the software. Heaven help you, though, if there isn't a techie in your house to work out the software glitches to this version 1 release.

More follow-up to come -- stay tuned.