Meccano Spykee
Double-O Robot
Christo van Gemert
All those childhood dreams you had of a robot pal who could move, talk and see are sort of realised in the Spykee. Through a standard wireless network and some nifty software it’ll move around on its tank treads – quite quickly if you use the turbo mode.

It will also talk, even though it’s only a proxy for your voice. Then there’s sight: using the webcam, it’ll stream all visuals to the PC being used to control it.
Arguably, the best bit about Spykee is that it’s a Meccano set. You build the whole thing from scratch, and there are a few design variations available, so no need to just build generic-bot-number-1.

Once the awesome gadget novelty wears off, the Spykee has a few limitations. There’s no handheld controller, so you have to use a PC. It’s also only accessible via a wireless network. The limbs don’t move and, most crucially, the head is static (though mounted on a friction-lock bearing). Once the head is posed, it can’t be moved using electronics, which is silly given the surveillance capabilities on offer.

It’s a cool toy, but a tad pricey at R3 250. The software can be configured to control Spykee across the internet, so you can use it as a pseudo security solution while on holiday, but it won’t replace your alarm and armed response company. If anything, you could spy on your housebound pets while at
the beach.