Gizmodo: hex bug

Hexbug Robot Ants Can Outrace Real Cockroaches

matt buchanan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:40:26 EST

Hexbug's touch-and-sound-sensitive mini-robots have always moseyed, not scurried. But their latest, the Ant, locomotes with wheel legs—not quite a wheel, not quite a leg—zippily enough to give real bugs a run for their money.

It's got a new butt sensor, in addition to the usual antennae. It's cheap too, only $10.

Bandai Hex Bug Robotic Crab is Just like Real Thing, With Less Pinching

Kit Eaton — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:28:00 EDT

Digging around in beach rock pools for crabs was always fun when I was a kid, though it brought the risk of a nip to your fingers if you weren't careful: not a problem from these robotic crabs. Latest in the Hex Bug line from Bandai, the toys are designed to look, move and behave a little like the real deal. When you turn them on, they scamper sideways, changing direction if you make a noise and then coming to a stop when they find a shadowy spot to hide in. Quite neat really, and the 2.5-inch toy 'bots will cost just $25 when they're out in August. Check out the video to see them in action.

[Robot Watch]

Bandai's Hex Bugs React Better to Clapping than Stamping

AddyDugdale — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:18:20 EDT

These little bugs are the latest thing from Bandai. There are six of them, and they are about as useful as a chocolate teapot—but you can bet your can of Bug-Gone that entomologists will be queueing round the block to pick up one of these critters when they are released later this year.

Each one of the six is a different color and has a different name—Alpha, Bravo, Charley, etc. The $16 Hex runs on a tiny battery, responds to handclaps and steers clear of objects all by itself. Sounds rather like my man after I had housetrained him.

Bandai Hex bug [UberGizmo]