Spyke the spybot gets a price and release date

In case you were still wondering when you could get your hands on one those Erector Spyke bots, and for how much, we've got word that the bot will be hitting for £200 on April 9th, at least in the UK. That's about $390 in real people money, quite steep for what you're getting: a remotely accessible WiFi-enabled bot which can drive around your home, sense intruders, and shoot video to you over the internets. Oh, and R2-D2 bleeps and bloops, can't forget those. There's an action vid after the break.

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[Noink @ Feb 23rd 2007 7:35PM]

"...a remotely accessible WiFi-enabled bot which can drive around your home, sense intruders, and shoot video to you over the internets."

And it's so utterly inconspicuous, intruders will never even realize it's there.

[Cupajo @ Feb 23rd 2007 7:37PM]

"real people money"

*chuckle*

[Robert @ Feb 23rd 2007 7:53PM]

For a given word, if the internal letters are randomly rearranged, the brain is still able to easily discern the word. The only time the brain has trouble with this sort of pattern recognition is if the internal letters are rearranged in reverse order than their actual order. When there are only three internal letters, this special case does not matter as much.

So, Spyke is not the same as Skype, even though your brain might try to tell you differently. Skype does not need a spybot to deliver VoIP.

[andy @ Feb 23rd 2007 8:06PM]

If I were the 'intruder', the firt thing I'd take was the $400 robot that was watching me and following me around the house!

[Benjamin @ Feb 23rd 2007 8:24PM]

Now what I really want to know is, can his head move up and down?

Would be perfect if you have a remote alarm system in your house. Check on things any day or night. A burglar can hide out the way of a remote camera or two. Imagine their surprise, they smash the two cameras that they knew about. Then from under a small curtain out pops this little guy getting a complete facial picture.

Thieves can always scope a place out before hand and avoid/destroy the security cameras but they would never expect a robot (or two) to come out and start taking pictures of them.

I can imagine a new version in a few years time.
Three times the size, 4 times stronger and with a self righting mechanism.
Hire them out for things like CES and CEbit. You could be there without actually going.

[Kevlar @ Feb 23rd 2007 9:51PM]

Look closely at the top of the video window on the screen.. in the video. (The app he's controlling the robot with). I SWEAR that is the Nintendo logo. Or it's pretty damn close.

[Daniel D @ Feb 23rd 2007 11:24PM]

Just dropping by to remind all Americans that England made their country.

That is all please carry on as you were.

[threefingeredlord @ Feb 24th 2007 2:11PM]

Not just 'England'...and I believe the term is 'Britain' :P.

[RevJonathan @ Feb 24th 2007 8:47AM]

Just reminding "England" That we kicked their asses twice.
And saved them twice too.

[Nick S @ Feb 24th 2007 12:50AM]

Just don't let this get hit by lightning (: Johnny 5 is alive (:

[Jeroen @ Feb 24th 2007 4:32AM]

Price mentioned is wrong......
It will retail in Europe at Euro 249,-- and US$ 299,-- in the US.
No Nintendo logo included... ;-)

[jimson @ Feb 24th 2007 9:16AM]

Lets be honest here, any burgler with legs could kick that thing three weeks from sunday before it could transmit a single frame of video.

[Benjamin @ Feb 24th 2007 8:24PM]

OK, so it might get kicked.
But only if the thief knows what it is.

The other option, put it next to your laptop. If the laptop gets nicked the odds are they will nick the robot as well. Then just wait until its turned on again.

[Kevin @ Feb 24th 2007 10:45PM]

I saw this at CES and I thought it was one of the few things that really impressed me.

The remote control via the Internet could have a great many uses. It may not be great at thwarting a burglar in the act but, if you are away on holidays it would be useful for just trundling around the house and checking everything is OK. Or if you are off on a business trip you could basically use it as a telepresence and talk to your kids (or check up on the wife!).

Also, in industrial uses, anywhere there is a remote site you don't want to put a person just rig up wifi, an Internet link and one of these and you have a remote patrol - whether it is an underground bunker, a cell tower site or a server room. It has a recharging station which it can automatically return to.

BTW - the logo is for Meccano. And BTW2 - I have nothing to do with the makers of these little fellas. :-)

[Nishu @ Feb 27th 2007 11:35AM]

really, worth grabbing asset..i was taken away by it at CES.....
http://www.gadgetsngizmos.org/