Ever since the movies of personal robots first came into existence, mankind has dreamed of having one of their own. But so far, many of these personal robots have been on both extremes of the spectrum, either plastic toys or incredibly expensive machines. With Romotive, however, a mere iPhone or iPod Touch can be used to make an incredibly cute robot.
There are only two things required to use Romotive: the app, and the robot base that has the wheels and the complex circuitry. This robot is interesting because it gives the robot a sort of “mind of its own” while still maintaining the relative simplicity and low cost of an iPhone for control. And the robot itself is called Romo.
Meanwhile, Romo can be controlled from another iDevice, another iPhone or maybe an iPad. Romo’s screen can show emotions, as it pouts, smiles, laughs, growls, and giggles for a user’s amusement. But it can also be put in free range (autonomous) and dance modes. With the Romo, an iPhone can be set free, while still giving data to the user. In the video below, it roams the streets of Las Vegas, where the eighteen developers were packed into one apartment as they created this magnificent robot and formed the company. It can give active video to the user, allowing for long distance communication when the robot moves itself.
Another appealing part of the Romo is that the creators made a robot API so that users could program it and make their programs accessible to more people as well, and “upgrade” the robot based on other peoples’ creations. It’s almost like a robot that can keep getting better without having to get newer versions.
And the final reason why it’s the best? Its many customizable faces and the ease of use for people who have no programming knowledge whatsoever. And with new perks like facial recognition and “emotions” towards its owner, the Romo will indeed be the personal robot that everyone wants.
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