THIS
MONTH:
Robotic
Gamer
ROBONI-I.
The rise of robotic gaming — it is a concept so fresh and exciting
that there isn’t even a Wikipedia
article on it yet. A company called
Robonica has now created this new
genre of gaming with the introduction
of the Roboni-i — a highly intelligent,
programmable gaming robot.
Robonica is a privately held
company with a research and
development facility in South Africa,
and marketing and commercial
headquarters in Massachusetts.
The company’s president is Tom
Dusenberry, who has an extensive
background in the gaming industry.
The founder of Hasbro Interactive and
Games.com, he has also held senior
positions at companies like Parker
Brothers and Milton Bradley. Now,
he is using all that experience to lead
the launch of Roboni-i.
We were excited when we first
heard about the Roboni-i because it
was truly unlike anything we have
come across before. What is robotic
gaming, anyway? A game with a
robot? You play games with FIRST
robots, but the FIRST season comes
but once a year. Perhaps it’s something closer to a video game, but a
robot trapped inside of a TV isn’t
much of a robot. Thankfully, we
had a chance to see a product
demonstration for our review.
Turns out the Roboni-i is not just
a robot, but an interactive robotic
gaming platform. It’s a unique fusion
of interactive game play and real
world robotics packed with technology
including 16 sensors and four
processors. The Roboni-i comes with
games that allow you to complete
solo missions or compete against
friends, giving you hours of unlimited
play. The exciting part is that you
can use your PC to program and
customize your robot’s reflexes,
personality, and behavior, and explore
the Roboni-i Virtual World online.
Interactive Game
Play and Real World
Robotics
ONLINE
GAMING WITH
ROBONI-I.
The Roboni-i certainly has an
unusual and polished look with the
two wheels looking something like a
pair of intergalactic penny-farthings
perfectly suited to interplanetary
exploration. As soon as it hit the floor,
the Roboni-i came to life and started
roving around the room. It began by
spinning around, tentatively moving
forward, changing course ... it was a
58 SERVO 11.2009
