Review: Avatar yourself with PadBot

Have you ever wanted to put yourself into a robot, and move around somewhere else? So did I, and I was incredibly excited to see my new PadBot arrive in the post.  These controllable devices tend to be very expensive. Running between 2000 and 3000 pounds on average. Allowing you to connect to the device remotely and control it, moving about the space as though you were there in the room. Padbot is built to be about the size of a personal presence device but slashes the cost, by you supply the tablet to work as its “brain”. You simply connect to the device using their app and once the connection is complete you can automatically control the device remotely.

This device costs £350 which is very expensive. But when compared to similar products which include the camera etc, you’re looking at a lot lot more. So after taking it out, you can charge it using the included mains charger, there is a set of green lights at the bottom of the base, showing you the battery level. There are two big wheels at the back which control forward and backward motion, and a small wheel at the front to control direction. The entire thing looked like a swan, with a long neck leading to the head. The head, has a motorized dock for your tablet/phablet. This allows you to look up and down when controlling the PadBot. There is a USB slot on the side, allowing you to charge the tablet whilst on the move.

Now setup was an absolute breeze. The Padbot arrived with half a tank of charge, so I installed the app on my Nexus 7, setup an account, and connected to the Padbot via Bluetooth. This is now acting as the “brain” of the robot. I can then get my S6 Edge, install the app, setup another account, and then call the Nexus 7. Call pickup can be manual or automatic, I would say 95% of people will want automatic pickup.

Controlling the Padbot was fantastic! Controls are really responsive, as the Padbot moves slow enough that you would in the end hit anything. You can navigate around rooms, hallways and offices with ease, as the front of the Padbot has a sensor so you won’t knock into anything. I was able to go backwards, forwards, move 360 degrees on the spot, and move the head up and down in order to look around. The motor is incredibly quiet, I think this is due to the slow speed. So quiet in fact I was able to creep up on my sleeping dad without him noticing.

The unit design is quite beautiful, the swan like neck, and the green and white colour gives it the look of something from *cough* Apple. The whole thing is very sleek and doesn’t look like something you would hide in a corner. The wheel design does make it hard for Padbot to make it over separators in my flooring, so when going from my living room to the kitchen, the bump between the two can cause the Padbot to wobble a bit.

At the moment the app is still very early in development, and even over Wifi the video lags at times. The quality of the calls are low as well, so for the time being you don’t get the crystal clear 1080p quality I was expecting. My impression from the team is that the software is going to get better over time. It won’t take them long to work out the kinks of video.

Overall this is a great personal presence device. With the market looking to explode with similar products, Padbot is a great starting point for a lower cost managed solution. You don’t have to spend the additional 2 grand to get started.

With a simple setup and easy to use controls this is a great device for anyone, and even non technical people. Buy it yourself for £350:

http://padbot.co.uk/purchase/