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USB drives are undeniably useful… but why on Earth would someone buy a 256MB one?

The Robot USB Drive looks very good. It really does look like a robot, it’s metallic and shiny, can be attached to your keys… but it’s incredibly small and very expensive. All right, it’s made to be given away as a corporate gift, but still. I don’t think it’s worth it in the end, unless you have a big budget you have to spend.

It does get cheaper as you go… if you order over 2500 items you can get each for $16.85. You just need a lot of business partners. Or a huge conference.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $28.50 on E-CorporateGifts.com.

Via BoingBoing

This is not only a post about an interesting item. It’s a small plug for a noble purpose.

Erin, aka RobotGrrl, got accepted into the prestigious Stanford EPGY AI program - only she needs money to be able to attend. Instead of giving up or just asking for donations, she is doing something to raise the money: building Styrobots. What on Earth is a Styrobot? Well, at first there was the bristlebot, a robot made from a toothbrush, a battery, and a pager motor. This, combined with a styrofoam cup and some artistic talent, makes a Styrobot. If you click on the link you can see more models - the one pictured is Cherrygood, my favorite.

I have to say, even if they don’t do anything much, they are extremely cute. Plus, the money is going to be used for a very good cause and I for one am very glad every time I see some who wants to do more than pass their classes.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $20 on Etsy.com.

Via DVICE

What can you do if you’re allergic to cats? Get a dog. Get a Sphynx. Get a Robotic Chicken?!

I will never get how a robot can replace a real animal, be it high-tech like AIBO or Pleo, or more primitive like this chicken. It’s not real, it’s just a computer, wtf.

Anyway, this is about the product, not my reactions to it. This chicken interacts with humans in a fairly basic way: if you hold it, it flaps its wings, if you pat it, it chirps, and if you ignore it it will only chirp once in a while. Contact is essential, the manufacturers stress.

It’s a pretty cool toy, but I hope no one thinks it can replace a real pet (although pet chickens are not that convenient, because they tend up tp grow up and become soup).

How much under $29.99?
A little: $26.90 on Brando.com.hk.

Via ubergizmo

I have a thing for t-shirts that make you think a bit. About useless knowlege of video games and pop culture, alright, not the meaning of life. But a t-shirt is less likely to get boring when you still haven’t figured out what all the stuff on it means.

The We, Robot t-shirt is a robots trivia test. How many robots can you recognize? They’re 51 in total, from film, television, books, toys and one even from a famous classic rock album. Or so the manufacturer says, I can only recognize three: Marvin, R2D2 and a Transformer. Oh, and maybe the one in the middle is supposed to be a tripod? You can see a larger version of the image here and test your robot knowledge.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $25 on ChopShopStore.com.

Via uncrate

Maths is for other people. It used to be ok in secondary school and it only got worse (until I started university and never had to face it again).

I don’t know if any kid can be taught to like maths, but we can at least try to make the experience a little better. The Robot Calculator comes in three colors (pictured) and does more than just letting your do some multiplications. This toy/science helper has movable arms, hands and feet and comes with a night light in one hand, while the other hand can grab objects such as pencils. It also has a disk magnet for paperclips and a note holder for those things you must remember.

I wish I was a kid again and I had such fun school instruments… I’ve always been fascinated by office things.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.95 on PhysLink.com.

Via GadgetSpy