TankBot
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Desk Pets' TankBot rolls out with Android and iOS support, is the tiny racer in your hand
Lonely and living in the city, but don't have the patience or maturity for Man's Best Friend? Well, you could always take a TankBot under your wing. Desk Pets' palm-sized four-wheeler first whirred into our hands earlier this year at the International Toy Fair, promising a variety of play modes and iOS control. Now, the team behind the roving gizmo has finally released it to retailers' shelves, tacking on a $25 price tag and adding Android compatibility. The mini-bot operates in a trio of configurations: an autonomous mode that makes use of its infrared sensors to navigate obstacles, a free-roaming option that'll have it wandering aimlessly and, most importantly, a free mobile app that puts dual joystick control on your Apple device's screen or universal remote (connected via headphone jack) for steering on an Android phone. Don't expect to squeeze hours of fun out of this little tchotchke, though, as its retractable USB port only gets you about 15 minutes of gee whizzery. Skip past the break to watch a video demo of the lil' guy en vivo.
Desk Pets TankBot hands-on (video)
Although we've only gotten a glimpse of a TankBot as a render, we were more than interested to see this robot toy doing its thing in the real world. We spotted these tiny desk pals at the International Toy Fair and got to take a look at some working prototypes. As we reported earlier, the TankBots have three functioning modes -- autonomous, maze solving and iOS controlled. The bots feature LED eyes and two infrared transmitters -- that's how it solves the mazes. Charging is done by plugging in the USB dongle found on the rear of the tank and you'll get 15 minutes of battery life after a 30 minute charge. And if you're wondering how your iOS device will play with the TankBots, a free app will be available to download and each toy will come bundled with an infrared dongle. You can grab TankBots from stores for 20 bucks come June. Head past the break to see some cute, yet impressive maze-solving in action. %Gallery-116612%
Desk Pets to roll out iOS-controlled TankBot this June
There's unfortunately no pictures or video of it in action just yet, but it looks like Desk Pets is getting set to join Parrot and its AR.Drone in the wild world of toys controlled by iOS devices. That comes in the form of the company's forthcoming TankBot, which can not only be controlled by your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, but by gestures thanks to its built-in IR sensors -- it'll also operate autonomously in its maze navigation or free roaming modes, for good measure. Look for this one to be available in June for "under $20" in your choice of four different colors.
