Gadget

From CHiP the robot dog to the interactive doll My Friend Cayla, hi-tech toys have taken off in a big way in the past few years. But perhaps the cutest yet is Anki’s Cozmo robot, which looks and acts as if it’s come straight out of a Disney Pixar movie.

Developed by a team of roboticists, animators and game developers, Cozmo is not only one of the most sophisticated consumer robots available today, but it’s also extremely amusing, with a mischievous character all of its own. It can move around autonomously, recognise faces, play games, learn new skills and express a whole range of emotions with its big digital eyes. And thanks to artificial intelligence, its personality evolves the more you play with it. The free-to-download Cozmo app comes packed with interactive content suitable for all ages, and you can even program your own moves using Code Lab, so it’s educational as well as entertaining.