The nice thing about WowWee's scary RoboRaptor is that it's slow. Like most toy robots that walk, it can barely outrun a snail. But the new PEA Bot uses Segway self-balancing technology and can book along at a few miles per hour. Fortunately, it has no snapping teeth.

The bot is about 18 inches high, and it's the first non-Segway product to use Segway technology. Unlike the full-size Segway, with the PEA Bot, you can dial in varying levels of imbalance, to give the toy a more animated, or drunken, look. There's also a flip-down cup holder on the bot, so you can use it to send a beer to a friend across the room. Be sure to turn up the stability first.

Like WowWee's RoboSapien, the PEA Bot can run either in remote control mode or in programmed semiautonomous mode. It will avoid walls and obstacles and can pick itself up if it falls. However, it has no cliff sensors, so it will drive itself right off a table or a flight of stairs.

The new bot should sell for about $200 when it ships later this year.

Article discussion: Beware the robot Segway