Wowwee to announce zippy Roboquad "spiderbot"

It wouldn't be a rockin' CES without some new robotoys from Wowwee — last year saw the introduction of three new bots — and sure enough, the company is poised to announce one of its most sophisticated models to date this time around. Called the Roboquad — and formerly known as, ahem, SpiderSapien — this four-legged critter is said to possess unprecedented mobility and locational awareness: although official specs and deets (and unfortunately, pics) are still under wraps, word on the street says that Roboquad is endowed with three speeds of movement and a sensitive infrared detector that can identify the size of objects and even spacial details such as the edge of a doorway. Because it can also react to sound and detect movement up to 13 feet away, the quadruped will supposedly be able to act as a somewhat ghetto security system as well. If these rumored features do in fact turn out to be legit, it will be further proof — along with the innovative Dragonfly — that Wowwee is looking to have its products branch out beyond your standard animatronic dolls. Still, by the time the $119 Roboquad hits stores this fall, Ugobe will already have its pimped-out Pleo on shelves, so Wowwee is gonna need to "wow" us with even more functionality if it wants to stay ahead of the game.

[Via Roboquad, thanks Robert O.]