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Author Topic: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!  (Read 5588 times)

Talon

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Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« on: November 05, 2016, 09:36:23 AM »

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to give a brief review of Chip the robotic dog by WowWee. I trued to write up something on him once before but the forums crashed just as I was posting and I just didn't have the energy to write a second post.
I intend this dog to be a Christmas present so I'm not going to run him full time until December twenty fifth. *Sigh while biting nails* Test of willpower anyone? I unboxed him earlier this week with Aibo7M3 just to be sure everything works and I have to say I am impressed. Unpacking the robot and getting it to pair with its accessories is painless and easy. Just a warning though. If you get one of these guys you might want to check the reviews in the app store or Google Play store before you connect and update your dog's firmware using the free app. Three of the five reviewers for the November update were highly displeased. One write after updating the firmware, the dog went in circles around his ball rather than fetching it and its head stayed turned to the right. They also said that its touch sensors on its head no lingered worked so pair to the app at your own risk. Since I am blind and rely on Voiceover to interact with apps, I can't yet make use of this extra layer of play.
Anyway on to the good stuff! This robot's maneuverability is amazing thanks to his wheel design, allowing him to move sideways as well as in circles. He is also very fast. While he doesn't have much going on in the autonomy department, he is supper cute! He can also easily locate all of his accessories as long as he can see them. I took things slowly with this dog as I wasn't sure if I could turn everything back off once they were activated since nothing- other than the Chip- produces any noise.
First I paired him to his ball which takes four AAA batteries. Getting the cover off and incerting the batteries wasn't that much of a problem, but putting the cover back on was slightly difficult for me since the springs inside were pressing down on the batteries and making it difficult to determine which way to position it so I could put the screws back in since there were two screws at either end. Once i put the ball down after turning it on, Chip rushed to it, catching it between his paws and then tried franticillly to find me. If you aren't wearing the smart watch accessory, the dog can't find you since the smart watch is Chip's means of recognizing you as his owner.
Next I paired the dog with his docking station. Once it is plugged in for the first time, he will zoom toward it and dock himself. Charge time seems to be close to two hours though there is no actual information on this, not even in the WowWee's sad excuse for a manual. Supposedly his runtime is about twelve hours depending on activity level. I have not yet tested this however so don't rage against me if you find this isn't true. When he is finished charging, he will stand up and give this cute childlike yawn and move slightly forward away from the station. Don't expect him to zoom happily around though. He will just stay there and wait either for a voice command or to "see" you through the smart band before he will take off in your direction and wait for you to engage him in a delightful game of chase. I love this component of his programming and totally sold me. More on that below.
I was very careful in pairing the smart watch with the dog. There are five video tutorials for the smart band alone just to give you an idea of how versital this thing is. Again being blind kind of hampered me in this department as the buttons on the band are not separate or distinguishable from one another at all. I had to depend on Chip's reactions to what I pressed to determine what I was doing. The top left quadrant of the band apparently asks Chip to follow you around. I greatly enjoyed moving slowly around the room and then dashing off at a power walk trying to lose him but he was surprisingly good at increasing his speed and keeping up with me. My poor living dog, Teddy couldn't figure out why I was running through the house, coming to a sudden stop and then taking off again. He loped along with us, barking in curiosity. Great fitness tool! Lol! Too bad you can't run him outdoors although I read somewhere that WowWee might make outdoor wheels for him later if there is a demand.
There is a small limit to his "sight" however. If you move around a corner or get out of his line of sight, he can lose you and go slamming into a wall before his imphra red vision can kick in and stop him. In the center of the band is a little indented circle. I'm not sure if this is a sort of "okay" button to confirm certain actions or what its exact function is but I noticed when I pressed it, Chip would stop whatever he was doing and wait for a further command. I guess this is a sort of heel button. I haven't yet figured out what the other three quadrants of the watch do and I fully intend to save those layers for Christmas so I'll have new Easter eggs to uncover.
Now on to voice commands. This dog has seven or eight voice commands he will respond to. Sit down, lie down, Yogi, let's play, let's dance, love you, fetch, and come here. No "good dog" here folks. This guy is too trendy for that. He uses the "like button" on his smart band as a means of praising him for certain actions the user wishes to see more of. While most videos and the manual say the dog has trouble responding to female and children's voices, Chip doesn't seem to have a problem responding to me. He almost seems hyper sensitive to hearing his name. I was talking to a friend about salt and vinegar chips on the phone and the mere mention of "Chip" got his attention. Just don't mention chips of any sort in his presence and you will be fine. Over all I like this dog and can't wait to discover what else he can do.
Talon
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Talon
Find me on YouTube at Crazy Robot Lady

Bardian

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Re: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2016, 09:46:41 PM »

Thanks for the review, I look forward to more after Christmas.
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Piggy

  • Guest
Re: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2016, 02:47:02 AM »

Great review  :D thanks Talon
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Talon

  • Cretaceous pleo master
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  • us Female
  • Pleo(s): Cato and Samantha (Pleo RB‘s), Eugobe, Terry, Cuddles, Bleu (Ugobe Pleos)
    • Lucy
Re: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2016, 08:21:54 AM »

Thanks, Bardian and Piggy! If there's anything more you'd like to know about this dog I'd be glad to try and answer your questions. Other wise, I'll add to this topic after Christmas. I'm sure someone else will snare a Chip or two and post their own reviews.
Talon
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Talon
Find me on YouTube at Crazy Robot Lady

PWOKristy

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Re: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2016, 12:45:21 PM »

Does Chip wander on its own? Thank you!
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Innvo Lab's not going anywhere. And if it's just to protect their precious, delicate skin, clothings okay. They shouldn't be dressed up like dolls.

aibo7m3

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Re: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2016, 12:55:04 PM »

WowWee just released an update with a very limited free roam mode where he will wander on his own a bit, but Chip does not have a huge amount of autonomy yet. However, he needs the app for this feature and will not wander at all without the update.

Edit:
Seems like there was another update released two days ago! Haven't tried this one out yet, but will report back once I have!
« Last Edit: December 22, 2016, 01:05:03 PM by aibo7m3 »
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Talon

  • Cretaceous pleo master
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  • us Female
  • Pleo(s): Cato and Samantha (Pleo RB‘s), Eugobe, Terry, Cuddles, Bleu (Ugobe Pleos)
    • Lucy
Re: Introducing Chip the Robotic dog!
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2016, 03:19:35 PM »

Glad to hear Chip is starting to show some interest in moving around at last. Thanks, WowWee! I will probably update my dog when I get him open for Christmas. I'm glad to see the whole circling thing has also been eliminated. hopefully there won't be a disaster when I perform the update.
Talon
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Talon
Find me on YouTube at Crazy Robot Lady
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