Why don't laptops come with wheels? That way you could drive them around with your phone and use them as telepresence robots.
Here's a Kickstarter project that helps your Netbook get mobile. The Oculus Telepresence Robot kit puts a periscope on top of your computer and four wheels underneath, and you can pilot the thing with an Android phone, an iPad, an iPhone, an iPod Touch, or anything with a Web browser.
The servo-controlled periscope adjusts to your Netbook's camera, and the adjustable motorized ABS plastic frame can auto-dock to recharge itself. The frame fits most laptops with screens of up to 10 inches.
The kit, from Vancouver-based Xaxxon Technologies, gives you two-way audio and video, an open-source Java platform, and remote surveillance capabilities that can have your robo-Netbook keeping watch over your home for weeks while you're away.
The project has a goal of $15,000, and backers who chip in $390 or more get a plywood version of the motorized frame and a dual Cree LED headlight for roboting around in the dark. That's cheaper than this cheap DIY telepresence robot from Johnny Chung Lee that we saw earlier this year.
Oculus is a cool way to turn your laptop into a new toy and a useful tool. Check out the promo vid below.