A Robot Controlled By An iPad? Dreams Do Come True
By 
DeskPets International, maker of SkitterBot, has released their newest friendly robot, TankBot. As PadGadget reported in January, the robot can be controlled by any device running iOS with an app called the DeskPets Universal Remote.
The mini tank comes in four different colors and has infrared sensors that keep it from bumping into walls. The sensors are so fine-tuned that TankBot can navigate its way through mazes better than a lab rat.
The toy robot can either navigate autonomously in obstacle avoidance mode, giving it a freedom that machines shouldn’t necessarily have. I mean, we’ve all seen Terminator. If you feel anxious about letting your robot have any sort of autonomy, you can always bring it under your all-powerful control with the DeskPets Universal Remote.
Available for iOS and Android, this app can be used in conjunction with a sensor that you plug into the headphone jack of your device. For iOS, TankBot can be controlled by a virtual dual joystick. Android-enabled devices have a directional pad.
The remote must be aimed at the front of the robot and you have to be standing between 3 and 9 feet from the toy. You get about 15 minutes of playtime with about 40 minutes of charge. Each color of TankBot has its own frequency, so you can race them around the office with other robot nerds.
TankBot is available now at Toy R’ Us and Radio Shacks nationwide for $25. The desktop remote app is free and available in the App Store or the Android Market Place.
