WowWee Robotics RoboPet

by Wow Wee

Product Features

• Realistic Fluid Biomechanical Movements - Including Walking Running Crawling Sitting Down Getting Up and Rolling over
• Exhibits Moods ranging from Playful to Naughty Curious Angry Depressed and Rude
• IR Vision Detects and avoids obstacles and table edges - Motion Sensors Responds to human movements
• Emits Digital Animal Sounds such as Barking Whimpering Growling and Panting
• Performs Tricks on Command - Trainable - Responds to positive and Negative Reinforcement

Product Details

User Guide [PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12 x 7.5 x 7.8 inches ; 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007SXAF2
• Item model number: 8096
• Our recommended age: 8 years and up
• Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 18 years
• Batteries: 7 AAA batteries required.
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,624 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Robopet is the perfect fusion of technology and personality. He "comes alive" with a combination of user controlled movements and autonomous, free roaming behaviors, some of them naughty and some of them nice. And at 7" inches long, he is the perfect interactive pet to take anywhere!

Product Description

When you take a little time to train your Robopet, you will reap the rewards. From playful to mischievous, Robopet exhibits tons of personality. Interacting with the environment, his IR vision keeps Robopet from bumping into obstacles, and his motion sensors tell him when you or anyone else is moving in the room. He emits digital animal sounds such as barking, whimpering, growling and panting. His tricks will charm you, and you can create a path for him to follow on the ground with the laser "leash." He makes a great watchdog, too, with his visual and sonic guard dog mode. Responds to commands from Robosapien V2. Features an automatic shut-off functionality. Requires 7 "AAA" batteries (not included). Measures 11"L x 6.5"W x 6.5"H.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I really wanted to like it, March 20, 2006

By 

DigitalQuirk "digitalquirk.ca" (Oshawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:2.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: WowWee Robotics RoboPet (Toy)

I wanted a robotic pet for our busy family, so I bought the original RoboSapien when it first came out. Though we had a lot of fun with it, it lacked autonomy (the ability to do things on its own). Robopet promised that, so I bought that next for my family. It looked promising!

At first, it was immensely fun. It seemed to deliver on its promises. It could roll over, sit up and beg, and scampered about as it explored its environment without running into anything. However, I was disappointed with the fact that it had trouble on a threshhold (the raised part where one floor type changes to another floor type), and could easily get itself stuck in a corner with only one or two obsticals. Oddly, uneven and soft surfaces posed a great challenge; one would assume that a walking robot with four legs ought to be able to walk on anything, but robopet needed a hard, flat surface. Also, I questioned the durability of this 'bot.

Now, I'm not sure if it's something that happened when it fell 6" to the floor after backing away from a wall, or if it was a defect, but mine started locking up whenever I used it in edge detection mode. Nothing takes the fun out faster than when this 'bot freezes in some odd pose and becomes completely unresponsive until it's reset; this after only a couple of minutes of play.

I did some research on my problem, and discovered other durability and quality issues. Apparently, the gears inside are made out of cheap plastic and are prone to stripping. The legs aren't very strong at all and they are also prone to breaking. This wouldn't be that big of a deal if spare parts were readily available, cheap, and easy to replace, but this is not the case.

I'm sorry, but a robotic pet needs to be reasonably durable. If it walks, then it needs to be able to walk on grass, carpet, gravel...and finally, it ought to be able to tell you when it's "Hungry" (low battery power) at the very least. If you want to get into the world of robotics, I suggest one of the many good kits, and if you're in the market for a cheap robotic pet, wait a little longer. Robopet does come close, but we're not quite there yet.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great toy!, March 17, 2006

By 

M. Levine (Carmel, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This review is from: WowWee Robotics RoboPet (Toy)

This does everything it's supposed to--lots of cool tricks, no trouble walking on carpets or hard floors, etc. It's not too noisy (just noisy enough to entertain kids), and the programming is very clever. My 10 year old has the patience to read the directions; my 6 year old just pushes buttons and enjoys himself. My kids think it's "awesome!" I'm glad the price was reduced, but it's definitely worth $70 (including shipping).

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Fun Than the 1st generation RoboSapien, December 31, 2005

By 

Petr Fuchs "petrakim" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This review is from: WowWee Robotics RoboPet (Toy)

Grandpa got another robot for our boys. Well this time they had played with it longer and had more fun than with the RoboSapien they got last time. I guess the RoboSapien was still a bit too complex for them and they just liked the demo mode. But this RoboPet is truly fun to play with. BTW even my wife's Grandma loved it soo much she ordered one as she can not have a pet at the place she lives now. You might find this would work as social robot for elderly as well. One thought about the price, I would wait until the price drops at or below $50. The current price now is too much for what it is IMHO.