Roboboa
Encyclopedia
Roboboa is a robotic snake produced by WowWee
. Roboboas has 4 angled body sections, allowing Roboboa to coil by rotating adjacent sections. A motorized tail roller and casters on the midsection allow Roboboa to move in a straight line.
Roboboa requires 4 x D cell batteries, and 4 x AAA batteries for the remote control.
.
The Strafe/Lazer/Cannon functions allow Roboboa to send commands to other WowWee robots such as other Roboboas, Robosapien
, Robosapien v2
, Roboreptile
, Roboraptor
, Robopet
, or Roboquad
.
Sleep mode: If Roboboa is not disturbed for 2 hours, he will curl up and enter sleep mode. If no alarms are set, Roboboa will enter Shutdown after 24 hours in Sleep mode.
' by entering commands with the remote; up to 40 commands can be recorded and played back in sequence. Two conditional steps can pause the playback until either the light level changes, or an object passes in front of the IR sensor. Playback resumes after the event.
Wow Wee
WowWee Group Limited, an Optimal Group company , is a Hong Kong-based company founded by Richard and Peter Yanofsky. Initially from Canada, the two brothers moved to Hong Kong to form the company in 1982 as an independent research & development and manufacturing outfit...
. Roboboas has 4 angled body sections, allowing Roboboa to coil by rotating adjacent sections. A motorized tail roller and casters on the midsection allow Roboboa to move in a straight line.
Hardware
- 4 motorized sections
- IR (infrafredInfraredInfrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
) sensor - Light sensor
- Speaker
- Remote control
Roboboa requires 4 x D cell batteries, and 4 x AAA batteries for the remote control.
Functions
The remote control has 7 action buttons, an 8-way directional pad, and 2 mode buttons. The remote also functions as a flashlightFlashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
.
The Strafe/Lazer/Cannon functions allow Roboboa to send commands to other WowWee robots such as other Roboboas, Robosapien
RoboSapien
RoboSapien is a toy-like biomorphic robot designed by Mark Tilden and produced by WowWee toys. The RoboSapien is preprogrammed with moves, and also can be controlled by an infrared remote control included with the toy, or by either a personal computer equipped with an infrared transmitter, and an...
, Robosapien v2
Robosapien v2
The Robosapien V2 is the second generation of Mark Tilden's Robosapien robot. It is nearly twice the size of the original robot, standing around tall. Instead of the original caveman grunts the V2 can speak a large list of pre-recorded phrases...
, Roboreptile
Roboreptile
The Roboreptile toy robot manufactured by WowWee Ltd. The Roboreptile has infrared and sound sensors, and is able to autonomously explore its environment while avoiding obstacles. It can also operate in different modes where it simultates behaviors of real animals. It is able to rear up on its hind...
, Roboraptor
Roboraptor
Roboraptor is a robotic toy invented by Mark Tilden and distributed by Wow Wee Toys International. It is the successor to the RoboSapien robot and uses motion technology based on realistic biomechanics that give it fluid and natural movements. It has a multi-function remote control that uses...
, Robopet
Robopet
The Robopet is a robotic dog produced by WowWee that is based on the biomorphic work of Mark W. Tilden. The Robopet has IR, audio and tilt sensors and is able to wander around autonomously detecting and reacting to objects and sounds...
, or Roboquad
Roboquad
Roboquad is one of the 5 new robots that WowWee announced at CES in January 2007. It is a 4-legged robot that somewhat resembles a spider and a dog...
.
Action Buttons
Roboboa operates in distinct modes, accessed by pressing one of the action buttons. Secondary options are selectable by holding the action button down for 2 seconds, or by pressing a Mode button followed by an action button. Roboboa also has a Lighting Mode button on his head, which converts him into an area light After 1 hour, Roboboa will revert from Lighting Mode to Aware mode. In Aware Mode, Roboboa remains in place but will track movement and emit various sounds.- Tail/Head:Reset:Strafe action button: Tail/Head toggles the 8-way directional pad to control either the head end or tail end of the Roboboa. Reset will clear all alarms, programs, and volume settings, and return Roboboa to the default position. Strafe sends IR command signals that are recognized by RobopetRobopetThe Robopet is a robotic dog produced by WowWee that is based on the biomorphic work of Mark W. Tilden. The Robopet has IR, audio and tilt sensors and is able to wander around autonomously detecting and reacting to objects and sounds...
, RoboquadRoboquadRoboquad is one of the 5 new robots that WowWee announced at CES in January 2007. It is a 4-legged robot that somewhat resembles a spider and a dog...
, and other Roboboas. - Track:Scan:Lazer action button: In Track mode (as in Aware mode), Roboboa remains in place but will turn his light on and track nearby objects that are detected by IR. In Scan mode, Roboboa moves his head from left to right until an object is detected. Lazer sends IR command signals that are recognized by RoboreptileRoboreptileThe Roboreptile toy robot manufactured by WowWee Ltd. The Roboreptile has infrared and sound sensors, and is able to autonomously explore its environment while avoiding obstacles. It can also operate in different modes where it simultates behaviors of real animals. It is able to rear up on its hind...
and RoboraptorRoboraptorRoboraptor is a robotic toy invented by Mark Tilden and distributed by Wow Wee Toys International. It is the successor to the RoboSapien robot and uses motion technology based on realistic biomechanics that give it fluid and natural movements. It has a multi-function remote control that uses...
. - Explore:Sleep:Cannon action button: In Explore mode, Roboboa will wander in search of objects. Sleep causes Roboboa to curl up and suspend; programs and alarms are remembered, and alarm events will cause Roboboa to wake up. If no event occur within 24 hours of entering Sleep mode, Roboboa will enter Shutdown mode. Cannon sends IR command signals that are recognized by RobosapienRoboSapienRoboSapien is a toy-like biomorphic robot designed by Mark Tilden and produced by WowWee toys. The RoboSapien is preprogrammed with moves, and also can be controlled by an infrared remote control included with the toy, or by either a personal computer equipped with an infrared transmitter, and an...
and Robosapien V2Robosapien v2The Robosapien V2 is the second generation of Mark Tilden's Robosapien robot. It is nearly twice the size of the original robot, standing around tall. Instead of the original caveman grunts the V2 can speak a large list of pre-recorded phrases...
. - Alarm:Daily:Test action button: Selects one of three alarm modes. Pressing the Alarm button multiple times will set Roboboa to wake up and play an alarm that many hours in the future, i.e. two presses sets the Alarm for 2 hours. The maximum setting is 16 hours. Five seconds after the last press of Alarm, Roboboa will enter Sleep mode until the alarm time elapses. After setting an Alarm, it can be flagged as a daily recurring Alarm by holding the Alarm button for 2 seconds to activate Daily alarm mode. Test will demonstrate Roboboa's alarm sounds, lights and actions.
- Guard:Sentry:Patrol action button: Guard mode causes Roboboa to scan for objects within a range of several feet. Guard mode times out after 2 hours and Roboboa enters Aware mode. Sentry mode causes Roboboa to spin while scanning. If an object is detected, Roboboa will flash and then spin the opposite direction. Sentry mode times out after 20 minutes, followed by Aware mode. Patrol mode causes Roboboa to move randomly. After detecting an object, Roboboa will flash and then move in a new direction. Patrol mode times out after 10 minutes, followed by Aware mode.
- Demo:Party:Volume action button: Demo causes Roboboa to show his movement, sound and light capabilities. Party causes Roboboa to act as a disco light. Volume cycles through preset options of Loud, Medium, Soft and Off. Volume setting is lost after Reset.
- Execute:Program:Back action button: Execute will start a stored program of up to 40 commands. Program mode allows storing of commands, while Back removes the last command entered. The program is stored and played back by pressing the Execute button again.
Sleep mode: If Roboboa is not disturbed for 2 hours, he will curl up and enter sleep mode. If no alarms are set, Roboboa will enter Shutdown after 24 hours in Sleep mode.
Programming
Roboboa can be 'programmedComputer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
' by entering commands with the remote; up to 40 commands can be recorded and played back in sequence. Two conditional steps can pause the playback until either the light level changes, or an object passes in front of the IR sensor. Playback resumes after the event.
External links
- Roboboa Home on RoboCommunity - The official WowWee Robotics user community
- WowWee Roboboa support page