RoboSapien facts for kids

The RoboSapien is a super cool robot toy created by Mark Tilden and made by WowWee toys. It looks a bit like a human, which is why it's called "biomorphic." This robot first came out in 2004.

You can control your RoboSapien with a special infrared remote control. It also has many moves already programmed inside it. Imagine, over 1.5 million RoboSapiens were sold in just a few months in 2004! It was even named "Toy of the Year" by the Toy Retailers Association.

What Can RoboSapien Do?

This robot toy can walk without needing wheels on its feet. It can even pick up objects with its hands and then throw them! The RoboSapien has a small speaker that lets it make different sounds and talk.

The robot uses seven motors to move around. It stays balanced using a clever design with "two triangles." When the bottom part of its body leans, the top part tilts to match, helping it stay upright.

Controlling Your RoboSapien

The remote control for the RoboSapien has 21 buttons. But wait, there's more! By using two special "shift" buttons, you can unlock a total of 67 different commands for your robot. That's a lot of ways to make it move and interact!

RoboSapien in Research

Did you know RoboSapiens have been used for more than just play?

Robot Soccer Matches

In 2005, at the Germany Open tournament, two teams of three RoboSapiens each played the first-ever Soccer match for humanoid robots! Teams from the University of Osnabrück and Albert Ludwig's University of Freiburg competed. Scientists even replaced the robot's head with a PDA. This let the robot "see" its surroundings with a camera and react using the PDA's infrared sender.

Robots in Factories

Researchers have also used RoboSapiens to study how humanoid robots might behave in dangerous factory environments. This helps them learn how to make real factory robots safer.

Different Kinds of RoboSapiens

Over the years, many different versions of the RoboSapien have been made.

Cool Colors

The original RoboSapien was white and black. But you could also find them in other cool colors like chrome red, blue, silver with blue eyes, gold, green, pink, and even clear! Many of these colorful robots also came with a smaller "Mini RoboSapien" in the same color.

Mini RoboSapien

A smaller version called the "Mini RoboSapien" was also created. This tiny robot doesn't have a remote control and can't do as many things as the original. It runs on two AAA batteries and can only move forward in one direction. Just like the original, it came in many colors.

RoboSapien Jr.

In 2005, Hasbro's Playskool company made their own version called RoboSapien Jr.. This one is even smaller than the Mini RoboSapien. It moves by bumping into things and changing direction. It has three different play modes, makes sounds, and even dances to music!

Movie-Themed Robots

In 2007, WowWee teamed up with movie studios to make special RoboSapiens based on popular characters.

SpiderSapien

The SpiderSapien was made to promote Spider-Man 3. It looked like Spider-Man with special armor and made Spider-Man sounds. There was also a Mini SpiderSapien in both standard and black suit colors.

HomerSapien

The HomerSapien was created for The Simpsons Movie. It had a sculpted Homer Simpson head and played sound bites from the character. A Mini HomerSapien was also made.

RoboSapien X

In 2013, WowWee announced an improved version called RoboSapien X, which came out in 2014. This robot looked just like the original. The big new feature was that you could control it using your iOS (Apple) or Android phone or tablet! It came with a special "RoboRemote" device that plugged into your phone. You could still use the regular remote control too.

RoboSapien Blue

Also released in 2014, the RoboSapien Blue is a version of the RoboSapien X. It has a cool black and blue design. This robot can connect to your Bluetooth-enabled phone or tablet, or you can use its included remote control.

RoboSapien Remix

The RoboSapien Remix was released in 2021. This is a simpler robot that has a spring shooter. You can change its "personality" with just a press of a button! It also dances to music and repeats what you say in a robotic voice. Unlike many other versions, the RoboSapien Remix doesn't use a remote control; all its functions are right on the robot itself.

Robot Size

Here are the measurements for the original RoboSapien:

• Length: 31.75 cm (12.50 in)
• Height: 34.3 cm (13.5 in)
• Width: 15 cm (5.9 in)
• Weight: 2.27 kg (5.0 lb)

RoboSapien Movie

A movie called Robosapien: Rebooted was made about the RoboSapien. It combined CGI (computer animation) with live action actors. The film was produced by Avi Arad and was released in 2013.

Other Cool Robots

• AIBO
• Roboraptor

See also

In Spanish: RoboSapien para niños