A two-pound, foot-and-a-half-tall, fire-engine red toy robot tooling around on your living room floor on three wheels might not look revolutionary.

But WowWee Group Ltd.'s new remote-controlled Tri-bot is just the latest sign that the robotics industry is on the verge of a huge leap forward.

The Tri-bot is a charming little machine that will only occasionally make you want to punch it in the face.

Setup is a breeze: Just install a bucketful of batteries in the 'bot and remote control, and Tri-bot is ready to play.

You can direct it with the remote or run a handful of automated programs to have Tri-bot squire himself around, using his obstacle-detection software.

The crash-avoidance system is marginally effective – Tri-bot occasionally comes to a complete stop in front of a wall, seemingly the victim of a nervous breakdown – but nevertheless impressive in a $99 toy.

If you do opt to use the remote, there's even a Nintendo Wii-like motion detector that lets you just tilt it in the direction you want Tri-bot to go.

But Tri-bot's coolest feature is the tripod-style wheel system that lets him go back and forth, side to side and spin in place, all without ever actually turning a wheel.

But what the Tri-bot – and the rest of WowWee's growing line of androids – really needs is an iPod Touch/iPhone dock.

GPS functionality, downloadable apps, music and video – all that stuff would make the Tri-bot easily upgradeable.

WowWee is working on another robot, the RS Media Robot. The company promises that one will offer a lot of those functions for $260 but will be more of a self-contained unit with its own LCD screen, camera, SD card slot and so forth.

This machine is just the beginning: Richardson-based Hanson Robotics, for example, is working on its Zeno robot that will walk on two legs, talk to its owner and stay connected to wireless Internet connections to constantly update its onboard software. DMN

Pros: Tri-bot is easy to set up, is capable of navigating almost any obstacle and sure won't ever get lost in a snowstorm.

Cons: Automated obstacle detection can be a bit flaky, and Tri-bot's loud voice wears on nerves quickly.

Bottom line: Tri-bot is a plastic pal who's fun to be with, but we can't wait for his even more capable descendants. [an error occurred while processing this directive]