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Check out this multi-function, super versatile robot from New Bright. The iRobot Kobra 71 is full of features and very easy to drive and control. Add the app to access the camera, and you're ready for all kinds of exciting missions.
Product Info: Get ready for an outstanding, feature-packed robot that bridges the gap between toy and hobby products. The iRobot 710 Kobra from New Bright is a multi-function, r/c robot that's packed with features that will make it a cool, electronic companion that can crawl, climb, reach and grasp. With a range of about 100 feet, you can go on all kinds of stealthy missions. And when you download the free app, you can activate a camera and speech function that can let you have all kinds of fun. And don't worry mom and dad, this isn't the quietest robot we've tested, so it's unlikely you'll be taken by surprise.
But, back to the fun. The basic robot is a solid body that sits on pivoting treads. The remote control drives it forwards and reverse, and it also turns right or left very fluidly. The ability to raise and lower the front treads means that this can even climb. You can use this indoors or out, which is something comparable robots can't do. Outdoors you'll want to avoid sand and water, which should probably be obvious given the electronics and moving parts. The controller is quite sophisticated, and we really liked how versatile is. Naturally, you'll want to play around with it for a while as you get the hang of it, but the learning is actually fun, which isn't always the case with these types of toys.
Once you master the basic operation, you can really enhance the play by adding the app that works with iOS or Android. This allows you to activate the camera, take pictures, and even speak through the robot. You can shoot in standard or high resolution, and the resolution is impressive. The app connects via onboard WiFi, and while we've found that to be a problem with other robotic toys in the past that wasn't the case with this one. The connection for this was easy and super stable. It does take about a minute to connect, but it was consistent on multiple tries. Images from the camera connect directly to your device. We noticed a little bit of a lag with the images, especially while driving the robot, but it was really okay. You can also broadcast sound. Press and hold the sound button to record, and when you release, your recording will play through the robot. (You can't store sounds, though.) The instructions were very good, and there are good FAQs online if you run into trouble. Some things on the app, we had to figure out by playing with it, but that was easy and largely intuitive.
The controller takes 4 double-a batteries and the robot uses a rechargeable lithium battery. If you're so inclined, you can actually run up to 6 of them simultaneously on separate channels. Now, this isn't inexpensive, but the price is comparable to other similar types of robots, and given the better performance and ease of use, if you're into this type of robot, this could be a very good choice.
