Robopet Review

I have seen comments and emails from some of you asking for a comparison between the Robopet and the i-Cybie robot dogs. I own both and now have had a chance to think about the differences between the two robots. Here's a quick breakdown:

i-Cybie:

• Amazing body movements
  
  The i-Cybie has some of the most impressive and flexible body movements I have seen in a low cost consumer robot. His legs are multi-jointed and invertible and he can do everything from handstands, push-ups, and more. The Robopet has very simple legs without any joints, but he makes very good use of his waist and shoulder joints.
  
  
• Voice Recognition
  
  He can be trained to respond to your voice to obey a handful of spoken commands. The Robopet requires a PC running special software like Robosapien Dance Machine to support voice control (not included with the stock unit).
  
  
• Clap Commands
  
  He will respond to morse code like clap commands too. For example, 2 hand claps will make the i-Cybie sit down. The Robopet does not have this feature.
  
  
• Automatic Recharging with the Optional Recharging Station
  
  If you purchase the (currently) expensive walk-up charging station which is not included with the stock robot, he will automatically recharge himself when his batteries are running low just like a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner does. (Here's a link to some consumer reports on Roomba the robot vaccum cleaner.) The Robopet doesn't have this option.
  
  
• Expressive Eyes
  
  The eyes on the i-Cybie change colors and blink at varying rates to let you know the internal state of the robot dog and to help you with various operations like training the voice commands, etc. The Robopet doesn't have any real eyes.

Robopet:

• Hilarious Personality
  
  The Robopet is just plain funny. He's a fast moving dog. For example, he can flip himself over and play dead in the blink of an eye (Watch out for this if he's on a table!). He's rebellious, and likes to try out different tricks all by himself and at weird times. The slower bigger i-Cybie has some of these traits, but the Robopet has the edge in this department.
  
  
• Better Battery Life
  
  He will run for hours and hours on a fresh set of batteries. In contrast, after 3 to 4 hours of solid play the i-Cybie will need recharging and intensive use of even 1 to 2 hours can drain the batteries.
  
  
• Faster Movements
  
  While the i-Cybie is the clear winner for amazing body movements, he is a bit slow and plodding. The Robopet is whip fast which makes him feel a little perkier.
  
  
• Funnier Sound Effects
  
  The R2D2 like sounds on the Robopet are just plain funny. They feel like they were done by a Hollywood sound company as opposed to the i-Cybie's quality but somewhat boring sound effects.

Conclusion

Which one should you choose? If you have the money, get both. They are completely different robots and clearly different robot dogs. If you are on a budget, then the Robopet will be close to half the cost of the i-Cybie. Otherwise, read the features above again and see which feature speaks to your heart the most. One quick note, the i-Cybie is about four times the size of the Robopet.

I'll be putting out some comparison videos of the two dogs soon, so you can really see what I am talking about in this post. If you want to be notified when they are finished, then use the subscribe form at the top of my blog.

Resources

i-Cybie Consumer Reports and Technical Information
Robopet Technical Information
Robopet User Forum
i-Cybie User Forum