engineering

RoboSapien

RoboSapien is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RoboSapien rather than just read about it. In short: RoboSapien is a toy-like biomorphic robot designed by Mark Tilden and produced by WowWee toys. Released in 2004, the Robosapien is preprogrammed with moves, and also can be controlled by an infrared remote control included or by a PDA.

Key takeaways

RoboSapien belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect RoboSapien to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RoboSapien from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RoboSapien is a toy-like biomorphic robot designed by Mark Tilden and produced by WowWee toys. Released in 2004, the Robosapien is preprogrammed with moves, and also can be controlled by an infrared remote control included or by a PDA. The product sold over 1.5 million units between April and December 2004, and was named "Toy of the Year" by the Toy Retailers Association.

Overview The toy is capable of a walking motion without recourse to wheels within its feet. It can grasp objects with either of its hands, and throw grasped objects. It has a small loudspeaker unit, which can broadcast several different vocalizations. The robot uses seven motors, and maintains balance by using "two triangles", one inverted above the over. As the lower part of the body leans to one side, balance is maintained by titling the upper half to match. The robot's remote control unit has a total of 21 different buttons. With the help of two shift buttons, a total of 67 different robot-executable commands are accessible.

Other uses Germany Openen 2005 tournament two teams of three Robosapiens each played the first Soccer match of humanoid robots worldwide. University of Osnabrück played against a team from Albert Ludwig's University of Freiburg. Replacing the head by a PDA allowed the robot to perceive its environment with a camera, a control program could then react to this via the PDA's infrared sender. Other research involving RoboSapien includes using it to model the behaviour of humanoid robots in dangerous manufacturing environments.

Variants

Colors In addition to the white/black color scheme, there are additional colored variants of RoboSapien which include chrome red, all black, blue, silver with blue eyes, gold, green, pink, and transparent. A majority of these also came bundled with Mini RoboSapiens of the same respective color.

Mini RoboSapien A smaller version of the toy titled "Mini RoboSapien" has also been produced. It does not have a remote control or different modes of behavior, and isn't an autonomous robot. The product runs on two AAA-size batteries and can only move forward in one direction. As with the original, it is available in a wide range of colors, some being bundled with the standard-size model.

RoboSapien Jr. RoboSapien Jr. is a licensed variant of the toy produced by Hasbro subsidiary Playskool, and released in 2005. RoboSapien Jr. is a bump-and-go variant of the original, and is smaller than the Mini RoboSapien. It has three different modes of play, makes sounds, and dances to music (the same tune as the original).

SpiderSapien and HomerSapien In January 2007, WowWee signed licensing deals with Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox to produce the SpiderSapien and HomerSapien, styled after Spider-Man and Homer Simpson and being made to promote Spider-Man 3 and The Simpsons Movie respectively. SpiderSapien features Spider-Man-styled armor, and an array of Spider-Man sound effects. A Mini SpiderSapien was also produced in both standard and black suit colors. HomerSapien was similarly adapted with sound bites and a sculpted Homer head. A Mini HomerSapien was also made.

RoboSapien X RoboSapien X is an enhanced re-release of the original RoboSapien, announced by WowWee in 2013, and released in 2014. The robot is identical to the original, but can now be controlled using an iOS or Android device (Through the "RoboRemote" IR dongle) in addition to the standard remote control.

RoboSapien Blue RoboSapien Blue is a variant of RoboSapien X, released in 2014. It features a black/blue color scheme and can function using a Bluetooth-enabled iOS or Android smart device or the included remote.

RoboSapien Remix RoboSapien Remix was released in 2021. It is a simplified robot that includes a spring shooter, can swap personalities with the press of a button, dances to music, and repeats dialogue in a robotic voice. RoboSapien Remix doesn't operate using a remote control, instead, the functionalities are on the robot itself in addition to hearing sound.

Specifications Length: 31.75 cm (12.50 in) Height: 34.3 cm (13.5 in) Width: 15 cm (5.9 in) Weight: 2.27 kg (5.0 lb)

Film

A CGI/live action film produced by Avi Arad named Robosapien: Rebooted was produced in 2008 and released in 2013.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RoboSapien

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RoboSapien claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RoboSapien before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RoboSapien ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RoboSapien

In research: RoboSapien appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses RoboSapien in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: RoboSapien is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s toys, 2004 robots, Bipedal humanoid robots, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RoboSapien outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RoboSapien in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RoboSapien means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain RoboSapien out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RoboSapien in simple terms?

Why does RoboSapien matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RoboSapien?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RoboSapien.