Retailer PC World isn't exactly known for its varied product lines, but today the company told us it is to start selling robots. Yep, you read it right, robots. Following on from last week's report that the company was planning on opening more Apple store-within-a-stores , it's now doing the same with Roboshops.
According to information released by PC World, "the decision to open Roboshops follows several years of intensive research and development in the field of robotics by leading global manufacturers.
"The PC World robot range will include a range of models to suit every budget."
"This is our first step in an exciting new area of technological development," said Keith Jones, managing director of PC World. "We are convinced that robotics will play an increasingly important role in the field of consumer technology in the years ahead and the time is right for us to enter this developing market. The robot will soon become a mass-market phenomenon."
Don't worry; we checked, and it's 9 July, not 1 April.
PC/Wi-Fi controllable Spykee
The first robots in the range include the PC/Wi-Fi controllable Spykee. It "can move around the house, listen to conversations, watch movements and speak to others on your behalf. You can also use Spykee to communicate with Skype users."
Next up is an "R2D2 droid complete with image projection, sound, lights, movement and much, much more. This droid has the ability to project DVDs, digital images and PS1 and PS2 console games onto an 80-inch screen."
The droid has an iPod dock and can playback media as well as read from USB drives and memory cards. "He also features realistic R2D2 sounds and lights and his head moves 270 degrees just like the real thing."
There are no details on pricing as yet.
