Move Over Johnny-5; Here’s Romo
I’m sure at some point you’ve all thought about having your very own robot — I know I have. The closest I ever came was helping a friend build a remote-controlled “battlebot,” only to see it laid to waste by some other kid’s metal monstrosity. It’s been well over a decade since then, and technology has certainly progressed. Designers Peter Seid and Phu Nguyen sought to take advantage of these advancements by developing a unique interface that transforms our everyday smartphones into robots capable of learning, growing, and expanding their functionality through a series of apps. They call it Romo, the smartphone robot.
While it certainly isn’t as adorable as Aibo, the robotic dog, Romo aims to deliver far more functionality at only a fraction of the cost — $78, as opposed to the Aibo’s $2000 list price. They’ve already held a Kickstarter, shattering their target goal by over $82,000. You can download the iPhone app right away, but I believe they’ve sold out of their initial run via Kickstarter. If you’d like to know how to order one in the future, check out their official blog for updates.
