WheeMe: Like a Roomba for your sore back

No massage could ever come close to those given by Eleanor, the miracle worker who is CNET's in-house masseuse (we do have to pay for her time, but rates are good). Sometimes, however, even she needs a day off, and for those sad occasions, we're thinking CNET might want to invest in a few WheeMe massage robots.

Yes, they wash our hair and give us sponge baths, and now robots are climbing atop our backs to massage our aching muscles, too.

Employing tilt sensor technology, the palm-size bot from Israel's DreamBots automatically steers itself around at 4.5 centimeters per second, gently caressing your muscles with "patented fingerettes" that make it look like the love child of a toy car and a rubber caterpillar.

DreamBots points out that WheeMe works best on horizontal surfaces such as the back or stomach (although one or two photos on the DreamBots site hint at more provocative targets). The company promises the robot won't fall off or lose its grip as it silently maneuvers around your achy-breaky body.

The WheeMe measures 3.9 inches by 3.5 inches by 2.3 inches, weighs less than a pound, and runs on three AA batteries or three rechargeable AA nickel metal hydride batteries. It's available for preorder now for $49 and starts shipping in the spring, with a limited number of units set to be manufactured before the end of this year, according to DreamBots.

Man, we can't wait to get our backs on this one.