Yes, those popular Transformers robots sure come in all shapes and sizes.

We’ve recently seen these fictional alien robots as iPod speaker docks, learning laptops and a 4-port USB hub. Now you can add Mickey Mouse to that never ending list.

The Mickey Mouse Transformer Robot is sold by Amazon Japan for about $33.

(Rinkya via Technabob)

The talented Japanese 3D artist Kazushi Kobayashi has created the Chubu 01 – a line of beautiful mecha robot models described as something from “a parallel 50s where the robots are the most popular transport system”.

These pasel colored creations are considered so unique that the famous Tokyo Cultuart design shop in Tokyo selected them to be displayed in their Harajuku showroom.

Head over to the Hobbymedia.it for more photos of the Chubu 01 robots.

Thanks to Francesco!

The first detailed review ever of WowWee’s Femisapien robot (see previous sneak peek videos) is now online. Check out the video from RobotsRule:

In-depth review and companion video gives solid coverage of Femisapien’s revolutionary new touch based interface and shows several of her many truly unique and entertaining behaviors. Most importantly, the video shows that she is the first truly capable dancing robot in the consumer price range.

The review page contains critical tips for potential buyers.

Femisapien is scheduled for release this month and is already shipping in the Hong Kong and some Asian markets. Her estimated U.S. price is $99.

Thanks to Robert Oschler at RobotsRule.com!

Want to show your love for the Transformers robots, but still feel a full body costume is a little too much? A pair of these shoes might be just the ticket – although you will need to have quite small feet to wear them.

Product Specifications:

• Transformable 4D toy
• Before transform, size: 140*60*60mm
• After transform, size: 180*105*60mm
• Weight: 170g

The 4D Transformable Shoes are available in blue or yellow for $27 a pair over at the gadget4all.com website.

Someone has created a cool looking Star Wars inspired case mod – shaped like everyone’s favorite tin can astromech droid R2-D2.

There isn’t much information about the creation though, but there is a bunch of photos of the R2-D2 Case Mod over at thecontaminated.com.

(Via Gizmodo and Product Reviews Net)

The AIBO super hackers have entered the Pleo party full strength by porting one of their most powerful and fun AIBO performance tools over to Pleo.

“Skitter”, a full featured skit creation tool for the AIBO designed by the AIBO wizard known as DogsBody, has now been reincarnated as “MySkit”. It allows Pleo owners to create their own performances giving them control over Pleo’s various motors including the ability to import existing animations from the original Pleo library, with the added capability of adding and synchronizing sounds to movements. Skits are then assigned to the various touch sensors on Pleo’s body allowing them to be triggered by a touch to that location, or they can also be run automatically on startup.

In this video, I show Digger, Claire, and Pendragon, my 3 Pleos, doing a skit that involves a short bit of dialogue followed by a song complete with synchronized lip movements. Each Pleo is running a skit designed just for their part with it’s own animations and sounds.

I’ll be releasing the files that comprise the skit so all Pleo owners can perform the skit for their friends and family and be the star in their own Pleo show. I’ll also include instructions on how to set up and perform the skit along with an alternate Claire script for the ladies out there that has Claire saying “Mommy” instead of “Daddy”.

These skit files and performance instructions will be available at the Robots Rule Pleo blog in two weeks. Meanwhile, you can download and read about the MySkit Performance Editor for Pleo over at dogsbodynet.com.

You might also want to check out YAPT (Yet Another Pleo Tool). This tool allows Pleo skitters to attach skits created with “MySkit” to more advance triggers such as Pleo’s sound and tilt sensors, etc.

Thanks to Robert Oschler at RobotsRule.com!

PostlerFerguson, a design consultancy located in London, UK, has created the “Life Machines” concept – a look at a possible future society in which humans and robots coexist.

Life Machines engages with the question of how an ageing population’s needs can be met through technology. It investigates a possible future society in which humans and robots coexist in domestic spaces and asks what issues arise in a symbiotic relationship between humans and technology.

Questions about what kind of compromises and adjustments will have to be made are explored through scenarios of everyday routines in the relationship of an ageing individual and a robot. The design of domestic objects that reflect the needs of both machines and humans becomes a tool for exploring the human condition and our fascination with using technology to recreate ourselves.

Visit postlerferguson.com for more photos and other interesting work.

(Via Likecool)

Toyota has unveiled today two new robots today, a “Mobility Robot” and a “Violin-playing Robot” – both developed to support people’s everyday life.

Mobility Robot

Main use:
Assistance with short-distance personal transport.

Description:
Can negotiate steps with independent vertical movement of left and right wheels, allowing it to assist in short-distance personal mobility.

Features:
- Has a traveling range of 20km on one hour of battery charge.
- Travels at up to 6km/h and capable of traversing a 10-degree gradient.
- Capable of following a person, allowing it to function as a porter.
- Capable of avoiding obstacles to reach its owner and of autonomously transporting its owner.

Violin-playing Robot

Main use:
Assistance with domestic duties and nursing and medical care.

Description:
Easy-to-become-familiar-with bipedal robot, capable of performing a variety of tasks with its hands and arms.

Features:
- Able to achieve dexterous, human-like hand movement and arm strength when playing the violin.
- Able to achieve vibrato on a violin similar to that created by humans.

Here’s a video of the two robots in action:

Head over to toyota.co.jp to read the full press release.

(Via Akihabara News & Prylfeber)

Here’s the first professionally shot video that shows tons of people petting, cooing, baby talking, and losing their composure over the adorable baby blue eyed dinosaur we call Pleo.

Finally you get to see how people really feel about Pleo as they pet him uncontrollably and treat him like a real pet. There’s plenty of footage that includes Pleo walking about, being cuddled, chin scratching, tail wagging, balancing on one leg and even playing with a dog.

Visit Robots Rule for many more videos of the Pleo robot dinosaur.

Thanks to Robert Oschler, RobotsRule.com.

The Japanese toy manufacturer Tomy has created a follow-up to their Walkiebits, a dancing miniature robot turtle released in 2005.

The Rhythmbits dances to music by wagging its tail and moving forward and backward in response to high and low-pitched sounds.

The Rhythmbits robot is small enough to fit in a child’s hand and is manipulated by infrared light from a nearby controller. This controller can differentiate high sounds from low sounds and sends signals for the turtle to move forward or backward depending on the pitch.

The turtle will dance to sounds from a music player or television, or a person can speak in high and low tones to control it verbally.

Rhythmbits is available in six colors and costs 1,575 yen (about $14 USD).

(Via Prylfeber)

After having shown up as soft hug-friendly pillows, the Transformer robots are now back in the hard shape of memory sticks.

The Transformers USB flash drives comes with USB 2.0 technology and with 1GB (Autobot) and 2GB (Decepticon) of storage. A handy lanyard is also included so it can be worn with pride.

• Autobot 1GB USB Flash Drive ($40)
• Decepticon 2GB USB Flash Drive ($60)

What’s on the mind of a Cyberman’? Well, it’s up to you to decide – at least with the Doctor Who 2007 – Cyberman Etch-A-Sketch ($16) one.

Lift up the lid of this cyborg villain and you will find a hidden etch-a-sketch screen for you to start making up his mind.

I wish I could read what his eyes are sayin’
Staring straight and not blinking
He’s not giving anything away
What is he thinking?
The Streets – What Is He Thinking

(Via Tech Digest)