Rovio WiFi Robot

The perfect robot should make your life easier (as opposed to those evil robots who just want to hurt things) and the Rovio WiFi Robot fits the bill perfectly. Rovio allows you to be in two places at once without having resorting to the inconvenience of time travel, so when you're away on business you can still keep up with the kids. His base is equipped with 3 omni-directional wheels, so he's easy to manoeuvre around the house (though he does share the Dalek's weakness for stairs) and the head-mounted moveable camera can be adjusted remotely to sit in 3 different positions. If that isn't enough, he also has an inbuilt speaker and microphone, so you can watch, listen and speak to your family or friends from half way across the world controlling your robot alter ego on your laptop, PDA, phone or Wii.

If the Martians had used this robot when they started the war of the worlds we'd all be speaking . . . well, whatever language they speak on Mars. They'd probably have had to install a smaller version of the heat ray on him as, thankfully, he's weapon-less and he can't really hover (he can't hover at all, if we're honest). But as looks go the Rovio isn't a million miles away from the design used in the original 50's film. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether that's cool or terrifying.

You won't be able to stop yourself playing with your new robot buddy and you'll use up a lot of battery power. This won't be a problem at all as once you've set up the charging dock all you need to do is push a button and the Rovio will roll into the charging cradle for some well earned rest and a re-boost, all thanks to the TrueTrack (tm) navigation system. This is all thanks to the TrueTrack™ navigation system that uses the infra-red beacon on the side of the charging dock to let the robot know exactly where he is. For anyone who aspires to create a futuristic household, Rovio will bring you one step closer to your dream.

• A mobile, 3 wheeled, omni-directional robot with inbuilt webcam, microphone and speaker.
• Requires a wireless broadband internet connection.
• Control the Rovio from anywhere in the world using your laptop (you can use your PC too, but the likelihood of you dragging it around the world with you seemed fairly unlikely when we were writing this).
• The moveable camera has 3 preset positions that can be controlled remotely.
• The included set up software is compatible with Windows XP or Vista. Rovio can be set up on Macs running OSX, but you will need to be quite familiar with your computer - it's definitely not a task for beginners.
• Rovio can be controlled on most mobile devices connected to a wireless router as long as you use the following Internet browsers: Internet Explorer 6 or higher, Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or higher, Safari 3.0, Mobile Safari, Internet Explorer Mobile, or Opera Mobile.
• Internet Explorer 6 or higher is required to make full use of the speakers and microphone on the robot.
• Requires a 6 V 3000 mAH NiMH rechargeable battery pack (included).
• Suitable for ages 14 years +.
• Size: 35.56 x 34.29 x 30.48cm.