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i-Cybie
item #C760A by Tiger/Silverlit/Hasbro

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This is the "economy" version of Sony's AIBO. While he's not quite as intelligent as AIBO, and maybe not as agile, i-Cybie is still a fantastic addition to my robot family.

You can communicate with your new best friend in any of four different ways - through the buttons located on i-Cybie, using the IR remote, "clap commands" or voice commands. My choice would be voice commands, but that will have to wait, since you have to program him to recognize your voice through the remote. And of course I didn't get the remote with the robot (hint, hint... email me).

You'll have to download the manual to fully appreciate all of the tricks and actions that i-Cybie can perform - the list is too long to include everything here. Just as a tease, I will tell you that I have never seen a robot dog that can stand on his head! And you know that he has the required robot action - guard mode. Like most of the interactive pets listed here, he is a moody breed. He can be either happy, sad, hyper or sleepy. That brings me to another trick - locating his own power station and placing himself on charge.

All of the usual sensors are there, too - motion sensors, obstacle sensors to keep it from bumping into anything, touch sensors (ie. pushbuttons), sound sensors (ie. microphones), edge detectors to keep your i- Cybie safe around stairs and tilt sensors... just in case the edge detectors don't work so well!

There are third-party and hobbyist hacks to expand i-Cybie's abilities, one of which is the Super i-Cybie hack project. Here, you can modify your beloved pet to allow interfacing with a PC computer using an RS-232 serial port. You can then write your own programs for i-Cybie in C and make him your own.

Year Released: 2000
Original Price: $200

Technical Specifications:
Power Supply:
   12v 800 mA NiCad battery pack (for robot)
      (black = common ground, red = +12v, yellow = +6v)
   2 x AAA batteries (for remote)

Dimensions: 11½" tall x 7" wide x 14" long
Weight: 3.375 lbs

RF Frequency: N/A (infrared)

Click Here To Download the i-Cybie Owner's Manual

If You Own a PocketPC or Palm and Need a Remote For This Robot
Visit Our Handheld Remotes Project

I thought you might like to see what this fella looks like on the inside. I had to replace the leg gears on one for a guy and took these to show him that the surgery was a success.

i-Cybie's Surgery
Click Image for Full Size