5 useful robots to put under the tree this year

By Warren Miller, contributing writer

Christmastime is here again, which means that it’s time to go shopping for ornate gifts that are ostensibly purchased for the children in your lives but which you’re really planning on playing with yourself. The toy robot market is really taking off, giving the tech-savvy consumer plenty of options to leave in ostentatiously sized boxes under the tree. Here are just a few of them.

The Cozmo from consumer robotics company, Anki, is a child- and adult-friendly bot that you control from a free iOS/Android app on your phone. Younger kids can interact with it and play games with its “power cubes,” while older, code-minded kids (and adults) can learn programming via Code Lab, a pre-installed platform for learning coding. The Cozmo has an AI-like personality that grows and evolves based on user interaction, so it may one day become your child’s best friend. It runs on a lithium-ion battery and comes in two finishes: the standard metallic grey and a sleeker, more metallic flavor. The Cozmo currently retails for $149.99.

Cozmo can be your best robot friend. Image source: anki.com.

The Mebo 2.0 from Skyrocket looks almost like a miniature bomb-disposal robot, complete with precision-controlled arm and tank-like track belts to get around with. It streams audio and video back to the user and has a microphone that you can use to scare unsuspecting family members after surreptitiously maneuvering it into the room. It can be controlled via Wi-Fi from anywhere within the range of your wireless router, so watch out for hijinks from the neighbors. The Mebo 2.0 currently retails for $149.99, including a lithium-polymer battery.

Mebo is an updated nanny-can on wheels. Image source: meborobot.com.

Sphero has replicated the robots from your favorite “Star Wars” film for the consumer, be it the R2-D2 or BB-8 (or the more villainous BB-9E). All three can be controlled from a smartphone or tablet, and R2-D2 can be made to perform many of the memorable tics and gestures he’s so famous for and is even programmed to react automatically when he’s in the room while “Star Wars” or its sequels/prequels are on TV. BBs 8 and 9E both feature autonomous “patrolling” modes — meaning they roll around the floor — and can even display holographic recreations of iconic “Star Wars” locales. All three come with lithium-polymer batteries. There’s a dastardly version of R2-D2, the R2-Q5, available exclusively at Best Buy. BB-8 and BB-9E retail for $149.99, R2-D2 for $179.99, and R2-Q5 for $199.99.

Of course you can get your favorite Star Wars robots, too. Image source: Sphero.

Wonder Workshop has developed a couple of robots that might intrigue kids and parents alike. The Dash is a turquoise, three-wheeled bot controlled by iOS/Android apps and comes with pre-installed tutorials for programming and a lithium-ion battery. It can respond to voice commands as well as move, talk, sing, and even dance; think of it like a pet that you can turn on and off. The Dash won the prestigious Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award in 2016 and retails for $149.99.

The Dash shows how programming robots can be fun. Image source: makewonder.com.

Also from Wonder Workshop comes the Cue, an update on the Dash for more mature users. It comes pre-programmed with an AI-based personality capable of telling humorous jokes and making witty asides. Three built-in proximity sensors allow it to navigate around objects, and motion is controlled by an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The Cue can be programmed using block or JavaScript by those burgeoning coders out there, and it’s powered by a lithium-ion battery (already included). The Cue currently retails for $199.99.

The Cue is the robot for serious robot enthusiasts. Image source: makewonder.com.

You now have no excuse for doing your part at growing the robot army. Just make sure that you teach your robots to play nice or you may be accelerating the robot apocalypse instead of creating a robot nirvana.

Looking for engineering gift ideas this holiday season? Check out the Ultimate Engineering Gift Guide for 2017.