When I was a kid I wanted a BigTrak. It was a programmable toy car / tank and you could get it to drop an apple off for your dad. I thought it was the best thing ever. I wanted one so much it hurt. It hurt deep inside.
Sadly, Santa never brought it to me. My parents told me Santa had to pay the gas bill. That year I cried. I still remember this advert now…
Even now, all these years later, I still want one (they’re still available) but something else has just appeared that combines my love of smartphones with my love of programmable robotic vehicles. It is the Smartbot and its mere existence has reduced me to a jibbering mass of sweaty excitement..
With the aid of your smartphone you can program this robot to drive around and obey your commands. There’s a programming language and it can even play games too. It’ll also drive around, taking photos automatically and sending them back. Not only that, but it’s compatible with Android, Windows Phone and iOS.
Sure, it’s not quite as easy as BigTrak, and there is an SDK, expansion port and other additional geeky bits. But I’m loving the concept. Your phone has a powerful processor, a camera, a microphone and many other features than every robot could ever need. There’s a range of features and you can pick one up for €180, which is about £151.