Karotz Smart Rabbit [CES 2011]

If you were looking for an electronic that pretty much could do whatever your media device and your phone could, then you should check out the “Karotz,” which is a smart rabbit. The pet electronic rabbit is not exactly a robot, but can play music, make calls, wake you up at the right time, and also tell you what the weather is like.

It can communicate, perform basic lifestyle related functions, play music and media, and also tell you what the temperature is like. The makers also claim that Karotz is the first domestic robot that can do anything you want, though I feel such claims are a little farfetched as Karotz does not exactly compare well with the robotic pets we have heard about from Japan.

Nevertheless, it is possible that one can download apps and accessories to customize Karotz and make it fun to have it around you. The way the domestic robot has been designed is pretty attractive too, and the porcelain looks and the big black eyes make it quite a huggable gadget too. Earlier, the Karotz was known by the name “Nabaztag” which means “rabbit” in Armenian.

It is designed to be a “smart object” that can connect to the Internet and also read people’s emails apart from everything else that I mentioned above. Karotz would connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi and would also come with RFID capabilities for added features. This means, one could use RFID tags in order to read barcodes, recognize data stored in RFID chips and other multiple questions.

While one may argue that it is “just a gadget” in the form of a cute electronic pet, one could also argue that thanks to its customizable qualities, it could really do whatever you want it to do.  You could also take a look at other robotic pets such as Pleo the Dinosaur, Trekbot the Desk Pet and even the Net Enabled Penguin.