HighTechScience.org's    "i-Cybie" Robot

Although i-Cybie does possess a limited amount of artificial intelligence, programming is not easily modifiable by the end-user, and it is not capable of autonomous learning. The i-Cybie can be trained to respond to voice commands. The voice control interface is speaker dependent so i-Cybie will only respond to your voice alone, not the voices of others.

   The i-Cybie was originally created by a Hong Kong company Silverlit Electronics and released to toy fairs in 2000. It was marketed and distributed by Tiger Electronics in 2001 but due to world market problems at the time of release and a battery problem the robot did not do well. Tiger was later acquired by Hasbro Toys. The product was relaunched in 2005 by Silverlit Electronics and was distributed by Outrageous.

i-Cybie employs advances in animation and artificial intelligence. He has state of the art sensor arrays that enable it to detect walls and obstacles to prevent collisions. i-Cybie is also capable of sensing movement and changes in ambient light. His sensors are sophisticated enough to determine the direction of a noise. Touch sensors help I-Cybie to determine when he is being petted or stroked.

    I-Cybie was the first True Robotic Pet. The 4-pound i-Cybie dog is made of 1,400 parts and over 90 feet of wire!  There is a powerful intelligence computer and a bunch of smart buttons that allows this little character to do everything but taste and smell. But, the truly incredible part of i-Cybie is the dog's personality.

  I-Cybie will respond to things in your world with canine-like moods. i-Cybie does this by using some of the same things that you use: body, eyes, and voice. The dog will express feelings with signature actions, poses and behaviors when interacting in the real world. 

  Some of the i-Cybie's features include:

• Motion sensors allow i-Cybie to detect movement around it.
• Obstacle sensors are used to navigate as it walks and to avoid bumping into objects.
• An i-Cybie robot can interact with other i-Cybie robots using a built-in IR communicator.
• Sensors on its help the i-Cybie react to touch.
• Sound sensors allow i-Cybie respond to voice commands to clap commands. Voice commands require training. Clap commands do not require training.
• Edge detectors help prevent falls, but there have been reports that this feature is not necessarily reliable & was never an advertised feature.
• Tilt sensors allow it to detect when it has fallen down.
• Light sensors let him detect changes in ambient light in your room.

   After approx. 20 - 30 minutes of inactivity, I-Cybie goes into sleep mode. When I-Cybie senses that it needs to be recharged it lowers its body down in a yoga like position. I-Cybie also has smart sensor technology that enables it to find its charging station and plug itself in to be recharged. The internal batteries last between 1 and 2-1/2 hrs.

Click Here for the I-Cybie Instruction Manual (pdf file)

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