Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Since he invented RoboSapien four years ago, Mark Tilden has been criticised by several technologists for what they say are unnecessary boasts.
One columnist, Lance Ulanoff, questioned whether his creations were robots at all. But Tilden claims he has been ostracised because he “dared to do something fun”.
“A lot of people don’t like the idea that robots can be fun,” he said. “You have to realise that some of these robots are very expensive — in Japan they can cost $5 million...and a lot of them don’t like me because I build robots that do things like fart.”
Tilden says he has drawn criticism from some in the field of robotics since deciding to trade in research work in favour of building RoboSapien, which has sold more than 50 million units since its launch in 2004.
Tilden claims he has annoyed the scientific fraternity by succeeding with inexpensive technology.
“This is much more satisfying: impressing scientists is easy. Impressing a seven-year-old boy? That’s hard. Twenty-first century children are a lot more sophisticated.”
The latest version of RoboSapien, known as the RS Media, is likely to be one of the most popular toys this Christmas. Tilden believes the new toy, which will cost around $600, could not only encourage more children into science but also herald a real breakthrough.
Bobbie Johnson
