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B.I.O Bugs Crawling to a Store Near You
Advanced
“Nervous Networks” Technology Creates Next Generation
of “Intelligent Toys”
NEW YORK – June 25,
2001 – Just in time to ‘crawl’ onto the shelves for
the holidays, the WowWee Toy division of Hasbro, Inc. has introduced
the first toy line to incorporate
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| Acceleraider
(yellow), Predator (red), Destroyer (green), Stomper (blue) |
advanced “nervous network” technology. New B.I.O. Bugs
(Bio-mechanical Integrated Organisms), the hit of the Hong Kong
Toy Fair, are robotic bugs that can autonomously act by themselves,
come and go as they please, identify friend or foe and have the
ability to avoid or climb over obstacles in their path.
“B.I.O. Bugs is
the most innovative product I’ve seen all year,” says
Mike Normann, buyer at Toys ‘R Us. “Its advanced technology
will enable the line to grow every year.”
‘Nervous network’
technology was developed ten years ago and is used by the U.S. government
to create robotic living creatures. ‘Nervous net’ is to
a body what a spine is to an organism, serving to connect functions
together.
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| Destroyer
has the ability to operate over rough terrain |
B.I.O. Bugs marks the
first time that the technology will be used in a toy. ‘Nervous
networks’ takes your basic toy bug to the next level and enables
B.I.O. Bugs to mimic real insect behavior. They give kids the power
to play with other bugs, other toys and unsuspecting humans.
B.I.O. Bugs will react
to outside stimuli – a wall, another B.I.O. Bug, even your
foot – and change or modify its behavior accordingly. Will
it turn right or left, move forward, climb or retreat? B.I.O. Bugs
are always in motion and determine what they want to do. Just like
real bugs, Bio Bugs are unpredictable.
“B.I.O. Bugs decide
what they want to do because they are just like real bugs only without
the tissue, with a battery as a heart and ‘nervous network’
technology acting as its brain,” says Peter Yanofsky, president
of WowWee Toys
BIO BUGS FACTS
Left to their own devices,
B.I.O. Bugs first instinct is to survive – at all cost. B.I.O.
Bugs adapt to surprising changes in situations and environment.
However, if you don’t want to let your B.I.O. Bugs act autonomously,
you can control their action with a wrist transmitter. Special 'follow
me’ technology even enables them to follow you around.
There are four different
B.I.O. Bugs species. Each one is a different color and is named
for it’s defining characteristic – red (Predator), blue
(Stomper), green (Destroyer) or yellow (Acceleraider)– and
comes with its own transmitter. Color is key in this “21st
century eco-system” because it defines the specific characteristics,
strengths and weaknesses of each bug. For example, a Destroyer (a
green Bug) has the ability to operate over rough terrain while Acceleraider
(a yellow bug) moves quickest over smooth surfaces.
To keep their strength and power, B.I.O. Bugs have to occasionally
‘feed’. To do so, they return to their transmitter which
acts as a feeding station, homing beacon and manual control.
Ages: 6 years and up
Approximate Retail Price: $39.99 Availability: September 2001
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