Be The Robot (BERO for short) is the latest Kickstarter project to cause a blip on my gadget radar. You’ve probably seen the small Green Android figurines on the market that seem to sell out as fast as they are made. BERO is about that same size (4″), but has up to 6 motors for a moveable head, arms, and tank track feet which are all controlled by an app on your Android smartphone via Bluetooth. BERO can respond to notifications, avoid obstacles and dance to music. It also has a built in speaker that can play tunes from a microSD card.
The Kickstarter goal is $39,800 and they are already almost half way there. There are several different pledge levels that start at $5 and go up to a you-must-be-an-Oprah-rich-geek-to-pay-this-amount $7850 which includes a trip to Hong Kong to visit the factory where the BERO is manufactured. For us mortals, pledges of $79 – $189 will get you a BERO. Each pledge level is for a different model of the BERO that has more motors which allows for more animation and control. I’m a big robot fan. I have a small robot figurine collection and even carry a robot lunch bag. 😉 So, I must have a BERO.
