[CAT] On Hexbugs

[rfmcdonald]

The Hexbug is something I've been familiar with for years, but that the Globe and Mail just caught onto. Self-propelled insectoid robots are always cool.

To call something a “robot” would entail that it is able to perform some sort of calculated action. The Hexbug creatures have been designed to recognize walls and obstructions, as well as react to loud sounds. This doesn’t mean the gizmos avoid walls right before seeing them, since they do make contact, it’s just that they keep on moving in a different direction upon impact.

For example, when I let one loose inside my condo, it raced from one end to the other, crawled under the couch, reappeared again, and then ran into more obstacles in trying to get out into the open. Playing loud music had it in a tantrum where its senses looked to be in overdrive. It didn’t seem to know what to do. If this wasn’t a battery-powered gadget, I could swear that it was a sentient life form.

Me, I bought it as a toy for Shakespeare, with results visible below.