At CES 2013, robots ranging from cleaning droids to dancing bots to bedside medical advisers swarmed the Las Vegas Convention Center. One of the more newsworthy machines is RP-VITA, a 5-foot-tall iPad-operated robot developed by iRobot and InTouch Health. Designed to allow remote doctors to communicate with patients through the display, RP-VITA is the first navigating communications medical robot to receive FDA approval.
Winbot from China's Ecovacs dispenses with magnetic support while washing your windows. Instead, a powerful suction system keeps it on the pane.
A $299 version will clean windows that have frames, in other words well-defined borders, while a $349 version will be able to clean glass walls or windows that have no frames.
Orbotix showed off some new AR apps for its tablet-controlled robot ball Sphero. In addition to a zombie game called Rolling Dead, there's a Nyan Cat game in which Sphero turns into the beloved animated Pop-Tart feline on your screen.
iRobot's new Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot also made a splash at CES.
An improvement on the company's previous Verro pool bots, the $1,299 Mirra can pump and filter about 70 gallons of pool water per minute and suck up debris as small as 2 microns.
Ecovacs was also exhibiting two robots designed to keep an eye on your home while you're out.
Famibot and Minibot can perform functions like roving around and purifying the air, alerting you if there's a fire or intruder, and sending your phone a video feed of your home.
They should hit U.S. markets in the first half of 2013, with Famibot having a suggested retail price of $899, and Minibot priced at $499.
We've seen telepresence platforms for $15,000 or more, but Maryland-based MantaroBot offers these iPads on wheels starting at only $1,650.
Recent features include a laser pointer and the ability to use any audio/video software such as Skype to communicate with friends while rolling around in a distant location.
When Vietnamese toymaker Tosy's mRobo was first shown off at last year's CES, introduced by none other than Justin Bieber, its song-and-dance routine was underwhelming.
Tosy went back to work on the entertainer droid, giving it more actuators, moves by choreographer Derek Hough, and a tune to dance to -- something called "Gangnam Style," which you've probably never heard of.
The iPad-controlled Parrot AR Drone was back yet again at CES 2013, this time with a GPS add-on that lets users set up a flight plan with open-source software. It can then fly the route autonomously.
Titanoboa is 50 feet long and weighs 1,200 pounds. While it usually creeps around Burning Man, it put in an appearance at CES, slithering in right by the CNET trailer.
Innvo Labs, which is behind the dinosaur robot Pleo, is working on prototype robot pets called Cuddlepanions. Designed to comfort seniors with lifelike sounds and motion, they've got skin sensors and a palpable heartbeat.
LG's Home-bot vacuum robots put on a floor show at CES with lights, sound, and synchronized moves.
Updated:Caption:Tim HornyakPhoto:Aloysius Low/CNET Asia
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iPhone for RoboSapien
WowWee's RoboSapien turns 10 this year. The venerable toy has a new smartphone control for iOS and Android -- a phone dongle that converts sound to infrared commands and replaces the traditional bulky remote control. Then it's ready to rock.
