會生蛋的企鵝機器人

????公司名稱：波薩諾瓦機器人公司

????所在地：匹茲堡市

????價格：Skylee：59.55美元；Mechatars：39.99美元

????適用年齡：Skylee：4歲及以上；Mechatars：6歲及以上

????千萬不要被這家公司的名字唬住了。波薩諾瓦機器人公司（Bossa Nova Robotics）實際上是一家玩具制造公司。

????這家公司是薩眾恩?斯卡夫與兩名同事一起創立的。當時斯卡夫正在卡耐基梅隆大學（Carnegie Mellon University）攻讀機器人博士學位，并且正在為美國國防部制造機器人。后來他想道，是否可以把這項技術用來制造消費性產品，具體來說就是玩具。

????2005年，斯卡夫與同事一起創立了波薩諾瓦機器人公司，成為卡耐基梅隆大學機器人研究院（Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute）的一個衍生機構。不過當時斯卡夫并不急著進軍玩具業，而是到中國去住了兩年，對玩具制造業進行悉心調研，以便為他的玩具找到最好的代工廠家。2009年，斯卡夫的公司發布了一款名叫Penbo的企鵝玩具，它所使用的技術與斯卡夫為國防部研究的機器人技術是一樣的。

????斯卡夫介紹道：“Penbo會像真的企鵝一樣搖搖擺擺地走路，而且它還會通過紅外線技術和接觸式傳感器與孩子進行互動。”此外，Penbo的身上還懷著一個蛋，能夠自動孵出一個小企鵝。“憑借我們的機器人技術，我們建立了一種真實的母女互動。Penbo會對她的孩子說話，甚至和它玩捉迷藏，”斯卡夫說。

????今年，波薩諾瓦機器人公司又在“Penbo和它的朋友”（Penbo & Friends）產品線里加入了一個名叫Skylee的新角色。Skylee是一條可愛的小龍，具有互動能力，會唱歌、跳舞，還會與它的龍寶寶玩捉迷藏。

????另外，這兩年來，斯卡夫和他的團隊還一直在研發一款名叫Mechatar的玩具機器人。Mechatar的神奇之處在于，一個孩子和它玩得越久，它就會變得越聰明。斯卡夫稱，孩子們既可以在現實世界中玩Mechatar，也可以把它與電腦進行連接。這樣一來，孩子們會看到他們的機器人變得活了起來，而且可以在電腦上繼續玩。斯卡夫說：“這是現實與虛擬的某種結合。”

????Skylee和Mechatar剛剛登陸全國的塔吉特百貨（Target）、亞馬遜（Amazon）和玩具反斗城（Toys R Us）門店。

????波薩諾瓦機器人公司的共同創始人馬丁?希奇稱：“我們都是機器人的狂熱愛好者。我們也花了很多時間來了解孩子和他們的玩耍方式。我們生產的玩具都非常有創意，而且它們的價格也讓家長們能夠接受。”

Skylee and Mechatars

????Company: Bossa Nova Robotics

????Location: Pittsburgh

????Price: Skylee: $59.99; Mechatars: $39.99

????Age: Skylee: 4 and up; Mechatars: 6 and up

????Don't let the name fool you. Bossa Nova Robotics is actually a toymaker.

????Sarjoun Skaff, who founded the company with two other colleagues, was working on his Ph.D. in robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. He was building a robot for the defense department when he started to think about how he could translate that same technology to create consumer products, specifically toys.

????In 2005, Skaff cofounded Bossa Nova Robotics, an offshoot of Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. But he wasn't in a rush to invade the toy industry. Instead, he went to China and lived there for two years, doing research on toy manufacturing in a bid to find the best maker for his toys. In 2009, the company launched Penbo, a penguin built on similar robotics technology that Skaff worked on for the defense department.

????"Penbo waddles. Penbo also interacts with kids through infrared technology and touch sensors," said Skaff. What's more, Penbo carries an egg that opens up into a baby penguin. "With our technology, we created a realistic mother-daughter interaction. And Penbo would talk to her baby and even play hide-and-seek with her," said Skaff.

????This year, Bossa Nova Robotics added a new character to the Penbo & Friends line called Skylee, an adorable interactive dragon. Skylee sings, dances, and plays hide-and-seek with her own dragon baby.

????There's more. For two years, Skaff and his team have worked on Mechatars, toy robots that become smarter the more often a child plays with them. Skaff said kids can play with Mechatars offline or connect Mechatars to their computer and watch the robotic characters come alive online and play there. "It's a form of blended reality," he said.

????Both Skylee and Mechatars just launched at Target, Amazon and Toys R Us nationwide.

????"We are robot enthusiasts. We also spend a lot of time understanding kids and how they are playing," said Bossa Nova Robotics cofounder Martin Hitch. "We are creating toys that are truly innovative at prices that parents feel good about."