We first saw WowWee's Miposaur robot at the London Toy Fair in January where it was self-balancing on two wheels similar to its older android sibling MIP. We recently tested out this T-rex's new features, which include an indoor GPS system for its TrackBall, a new phone app that extends the robot's abilities, and backwards compatibility with the old MiP to duke it out, virtual-laser-style.
Similar to the MiP, the Miposaur responds to 10 predefined hand gestures, such as a user covering its eyes, waving a hand in a circular motion, clapping, or pulling the dino's tail. Three sensors, one for sound and the others in front of and behind the head, control these gestures. Deliberate movement is the key for not getting frustrated controlling the dino in this way, but younger kids may find it hit-and-miss.To balance and move on two wheels, like a Segway, the Miposaur uses the same inverted pendulum mechanism based on research from the UCSD Coordinated Robotics Lab as its predecessor. This feature was so striking in the orginal MiP that one of its games relied solely on its ability to balance while weights were stacked up on its front. The dino, however, is larger, more horizontal than vertical, and for stability can rest back on little plastic heels when not in motion.
The Miposaur also comes with its own toy in the form of a ball to play with. Adding another dimension to the interaction, this independently moving TrackBall has six different modes and features the company's proprietary indoor GPS technology to create a spatial link between dino and its favorite toy. While the ball could roll faster than the dino could keep up, the dino's corrections were quick and accurate.
Some modes, like beatbox mode where the Miposaur will beatbox when in close proximity to the ball, feel like they could get boring quickly, but others are more interesting. For example, leash mode will see the android pet follow someone carrying the ball, while ball mode will see it channel its inner Ronaldo and chase and push the ball around.
While testing our little T. rex, we were impressed by its stability and agility despite its bulk of over a kilogram. Where the original MiP robot refuses to crash into surfaces, the Miposaur doesn't avoid collisions quite as well. However, this matched its "personality" as a manic dinosaur and felt more like aggression than bad navigation. Additionally, it feels durable and, even when we outright dropped it, its tail slotted back on with nary a chip.
We also weren't overly enthused by the robot's sound quality, but the volume is adjustable through the app. While the harsh, rough sounds did match the dinosaur's raging personality, they eventually became a little annoying in the pre-scripted interactions, like its dance music.
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