Quick Links:
Free Vadersapien Custom Personality
Free Elmosapien Custom Personality - watch the video, it’s hilarious!
Recommended items (Note: Although I use them myself because the RS Media is very battery hungry, WowWee specifically advises you NOT to use rechargeable batteries! In any case, you will need 6 “D” cell batteries and 4 “AA” cell batteries. Use them at your own risk!):
Helpful RadioShack product links:
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01-06-2006: Engadget quotes a WowWee representative who claims the Robosapien RS Media will be $300 USD, which is a lot cheaper than our international brethren had to pay.
10-02-2006: The official WowWee Toys web site for the Robosapien RS Media is now online. It's a very slick Flash based web site with supporting audio files. There are no videos on the site yet but hopefully that will change soon. The site does go into the technical specifications for the robot and confirms that the robot does indeed run an embedded form of Linux. In addition, the BodyCon movement editing and other customization software will run on computers running Windows XP. Many of the robot's features are broken out in different screens so you can get a good idea of what you can expect from the successor to the Robosapien V2.
09-29-2006: The Robosapien RS Media will be launching next week at UK based department store Debenham's. The $558 (USD) robot will only be available at Debenham's until October 21, 2006, which is when it will be opened up to wider distribution globally. Details on the robot’s features have not changed, except for the confirmation that the robot will powered by a RISC based ARM9 processor system running a Linux kernel.
01-06-2006: WowWee Toys International introduced three new exciting consumer robots at the 2006 Consumer Electronics show. One of the most fascinating items at the show itself was the latest heir to the Robosapien V2 line, the Robosapien RS Media. This version is a vast improvement in programmability, dynamic modification, and flexibility over even the recently released Robosapien V2. Here are a list of it’s biggest features:
- A 320 by 160 color LCD display which can show you what the robot is seeing through the camera that is mounted on his head.
- It can display an image or MPEG video downloaded by the user onto the robot’s removable SD memory sticks, on the LCD display.
- The ability to store body movements with the user being the puppet master, like Robosapien V2 can. However, it will allow the user to edit those movements with the robot’s accompanying BodyCon editing package.
- You can record and store your voice into the robot’s SD memory sticks which can be played back by the robot.
- Includes a USB port, protocol version 1.0, for interfacing with the robot.
- It can play back music files that you download to it through it’s 11 watt stereo speakers; making the robot something akin to a programmable roving boom box.
The most interesting feature of the new Robosapien RS media robot is the ability to modify and swap personalities, thanks to the removable SD memory cards. Check back frequently for more information on this robot that should be ready for purchase by Christmas 2006!
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