Product Description

This adorable robotic panda is a fun-loving friend who likes to tell stories, play games and sing songs. Robopanda’s engaging personality and bright animated eyes will immediately endear him to children of all ages. There’s no need for a remote control — you can interact with Robopanda directly through his integrated audio and touch sensors. Using capacitive touch sensor technology, he knows when he is being patted, touched, or stroked and responds accordingly; his audio sensor allows him to hear sounds for game play and other interactions.

At the touch of a switch, you can set him into one of three play modes: in Training Mode he will teach you how to play with him; in Friend Mode he will engage you in conversation and amuse you with jokes; in Menu Mode, you can use his sensors to navigate through his menus, review and select from among his many stories, interactive games and songs. When Robopanda tells stories, he invites you to make decisions that will determine the outcome of the story.

Equipped with an internal dual-axis accelerometer and tilt sensors, Robopanda knows when you pick him up or carry him somewhere, and he’s going to let you know how he feels about it! And, he can even switch from sitting to crawling position, crawl on all fours and switch back to sitting again. Program him to perform a sequence of actions by simply moving his limbs around. Robopanda comes with an adorable plush panda accessory (who Robopanda will recognize and interact with when he’s close by) and 2 cartridges containing interactive content. Requires 4 “AA” and 6 “C” batteries, not included. Measures 19″H.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14808 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Sourcing Network Sales
• Model: 8068
• Released on: 2007-11-01
• Platform: Not Machine Specific
• Dimensions: 19.00″ h x 6.00″ w x 10.20″ l, 12.50 pounds

Features

• Interact with him through his numerous touch and sound sensors
• Touch responsive skin
• Recognizes the differences between a stroke, touch and pat
• Tells stories and plays games that require your interaction.
• Features three play modes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description

The Robopanda can crawl on all fours, give hugs, and more.

Engage your child’s imagination with the Robopanda, a playful, talkative, interactive robotic panda friend. With his engaging personality and bright animated eyes, the Robopanda loves to share stories and jokes, play games, sing songs, and chat with children of all ages. The fun-filled robotic bear can even crawl on all fours, return to a sitting position, and give hugs, making him far more versatile than a traditional teddy bear (and much easier to maintain than a dog). Designed to work without a remote control, the Robopanda is controlled directly by touch and sound, with eight touch sensors and a stereo sonic sensor located throughout his body. Touch his head and he’ll respond with a nod. Pick him up and he’ll giggle and ask for a ride. In short, the Robopanda’s advanced artificial intelligence and awareness gives your child hours of delight and entertainment. He even knows how to track objects with his eyes and avoid obstacles.

Equipped with eight touch sensors and a stereo sonic sensor, the Robopanda works without a remote control.

The panda offers three different play modes. In Training mode, the panda guides your child through his many features, while Friend mode turns on the panda’s conversational charm (including jokes). In Menu mode, meanwhile, the Robopanda tells your child stories, plays games, and even sings a song or two. The panda will even learn tricks from you in Menu mode and then perform them later. And don’t worry about your Robopanda growing lonely while you’re away, as he comes with his own plush toy panda that he recognizes and talks to.

The Robopanda comes with a pair of activity and story cartridges, each of which includes different stories and personality traits. Other details include a volume control, a set of safety sensors, and a mode switch on the back. The Robopanda, which runs on six C-size and four AA batteries (not included), measures 10.2 by 19 by 6 inches (W x H x D), weighs 10.34 pounds, and carries a 90-day warranty.

What’s in the Box
Robopanda, plush panda toy, two story cartridges, user’s manual.

From the Manufacturer
Robopanda is a fun-loving and curious robotic friend. No need for a controller! Interact with him by touching or activating his many sensors. Robopanda plays on his own or with his plush panda accessory.

Customer Reviews

Whiny Toy. Doesn’t teach good things to kids.
First of, if you want kids to behave properly, don’t give them this toy. It’s whiny and the way it talks, its very demanding and rude. It’s not a fun toy. It acts like a brat. You don’t want your kids emulating this piece of junk.

I Had High Hopes For This Toy!
I had high hopes for this toy. However, I can only give this a mediocre rating in my review. Although this toy is probably one of the most sophisticated robotic toys on the market, it is one of the least lifelike of this years crop (herd) of robitic animals and really gives the lowest illusion of interactivity. TheFurreal Kitty Cat or the Hasbro FurReal Friends Squawkers McCaw Parrot are far less sophisticated, but actually seem more alive.

What’s the problem? First, the sensors are used more like pushbuttons than actual touch sensors. The panda tells you to touch certain parts of its body to get it to do certain things like tell stories, play games, etc. Second, they really SHOULD have designed this toy with a soft exterior, even if it was a soft smooth exterior. It just does not have a warm and friendly feel.

Second, the product needs voice recognition. The interactivity for this toy reminds me of the old “Eliza” software program that gave the illusion of interactivity. The illusion soon falls apart.

The concept behind the toy is definitely a good one and we can hope that future toys execute the vision a little better. Research shows that robotic pets can be beneficial to the elderly who can’t have pets and children who have problems with social interactions often are able to interact and learn to interact with computerized of robotic entities. However, I’m afraid affordable technology has not yet caught up to the vision that created this toy. I saw this toy on sale for $50 after Christmas. Given the shortcomings of the toy, this is a much better price point.

All talk, no interaction…
I’m glad we got this toy essentially for free (we had some gift cards to the Sharper Image that had been laying around for so long that they were essentially “found money”) because I would have been pretty angry if I had dropped $150 on this thing. It talks and talks and talks… and asks questions, but has no sort of voice recognition… even a minimal sound sensor like, say, NeoPets have… so it never manages to create the illusion that you are interacting with it. The interaction is limited to touch sensors on the paws and head and back, but these seem hit and miss, and often don’t seem to register as they should. Any attempt at being cute and cuddly is ruined by the constant WHIRRR of the internal motors, which make the whole thing come off as kind of creepy.

I’ll also echo one of the other Amazon reviews in pointing out that the Panda’s conversation often borders on rudeness. At one point it told its toy stuffed panda to go away and not to “let the door hit you on the way out”! Like my 5 year-old needs to learn obnoxious catch phrases from a robotic Panda??

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