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UBTech shows off two robots for kids (pictures)

The Chinese robotics company showed off a DIY robotics kit and a robo-sidekick that can teach you French at CES 2016.

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1 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

UBTech (pronounced YOO-bee-teck) unveiled the voice-controlled Alpha 2. The smart robot has a lot up its robo-sleeve, from controlling your smart home lights to doing yoga.

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2 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

Here's some of what the Alpha 2 can do:

  • Take photos
  • Tutor
  • Set reminders and alarms
  • Control smart home equipment like locks and lights
  • DJ, dancing, yoga poses
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3 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

The Alpha 2 comes in red or blue right now, but UBTech says more colours are in the pipeline.

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4 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

Battery life lasts about an hour, but the robot can be tethered to its proprietary charger for a longer running time.

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5 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

The Alpha 2 will retail for $1,300 (AU$1845, £890 converted) around March. In the US, there are plans to get the robot stocked at Toy R Us and Amazon.

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6 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

Hardware specs:

  • 17 inches by 9 inches, 5 pounds
  • Android 4.4
  • 2,150mAH battery
  • 16GB internal storage
  • 2GB RAM
  • Wi-Fi-enabled
  • USB connector
jimu-robot-6653-002.jpg
7 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

The Jimu targets kids as young as eight with a robotics kit that contains color-coded parts and instructions for building complete robo-sets. Youngsters can build a giraffe, trumpeting elephant and penguin, but the determined kids can go off-road and build anything they want.

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8 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

You can control your creations through a companion app for iOS and Android.

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9 of 9 Josh Miller/CNET

The Jimu will be in stores in late January or early February and ranging from $100 to $200 (about £70 to £135 and AU$140 to AU$285).

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