Bossa Nova Robotics, a 2005 spinoff from the Robotics Institute, came to campus July 9 to unveil to the news media its first commercial products - a pair of toy robots called Prime-8 and Penbo.

Both robots evolved from RHex, a fast-moving, agile, hexapod robot developed from 1999 to 2004 that provided a model for the toy robots' animalistic locomotion. Prime-8 - "Part ape, part 'bot," according to the company's promotional video - is a fast-moving biped with an aggressive personality, intended for boys ages 8-12. Penbo, which stands for "penguin robot," waddles like a penguin, lays an egg with an interactive baby 'bot inside and emphasizes nurturing; it's intended for girls ages 4-6.

"The technology behind Prime-8 and Penbo has only previously been seen in multi-million dollar research projects," said Sarjoun Skaff, who holds a master's and PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon and is co-founder and chief technology officer for Pittsburgh-based Bossa Nova. "To make this kind of technology available to children is unprecedented and what we've seen in all of our focus groups is that both kids and adults are impressed by Penbo and Prime-8's technology and lifelike movements.

"Children's robotics is just the start," he added. "In the future, we envisage creating Bossa Nova robots that will change the way we work, play, learn and stay safe."

Prime-8 will go on sale for the first time on the QVC cable shopping channel on July 25; Penbo will make here consumer debut on QVC in mid-August. Both will be available online on Aug. 1.

More information on Bossa Nova Robotics.