Robotics Revolution

The hidden story of Comdex may, in fact, be robotics.

While pundits were wringing their hands over whether the show was a dud and if there even would be another Comdex, the robotics industry quietly set up shop on the floor and at an adjacent restaurant. Comdex organizers would prefer to paint the event as an all IT/enterprise experience, but robotics stole the show, and the field could prove, one day, to be what saves a still-struggling tech industry. With so much possibility and potential in this bourgeoning market sector, I thought a guided tour of some of the wonders I found would be worthwhile.

Notable for its ultra-low price and anime-style body, the $199 Wowee Robosapian humanoid robot can walk, pick up light objects and do other sundry tricks—some cute, some a bit disgusting. It's not autonomous, though, requiring a remote control to work. The company producing it has a track record in toys, not research or robotics, so I remain skeptical about the device's true potential.

The servomotor and robot-kit manufacturer Megarobotics, nestled in a tiny, nondescript booth on the show floor, was displaying small, intelligent motors that resemble those found in Sony AIBOs, which have roughly 20, and the old i-Cybie robopup. You can buy the AI Motors in single $45 units and as a $900 kit that lets you build your own Robodoggy. I watched a robot made from a kit do handstands and—what else—virtually pee.