There has been a trend of developing music playing robots, with Automated Music Personality (AMP) being the latest. Launched by OLogic, this self-balancing two-wheel robot having two hands, head and wheels for moving around and standing, can be controlled by an Android phone or remote control. It streams music via Bluetooth, but can also be made to dance!

This isn't an experimental product and OLogic is serious about marketing it. It's looking for efficient distribution channels to market it as a proper consumer product. Currently you can get in touch with OLogic directly and it will ship the Automated Music Personality (AMP) for around $400 (around Rs 19,636) in the US. Technology geeks don't consider this a hefty price tag, especially since this robot actually looks like a machine in human form and has self-balancing capability. Guess that means AMP will have quite a few takers pretty soon.

Automated Music Personality (AMP) is brilliantly designed. Its chest has an efficient audio system and its back has a cradle that houses the music player. It also features a cup holder and command buttons for various tasks including controlling volume. OLogic will be adding more features including a function enabling removing the AMP head and placing an iPad, which OLogic believes, will make the robot more accessible and affordable.

Here's a look at the other smartphone robots that have already been made visible to the public eye. The Telenoid R1 is another telepresence robot and was announced in August 2010 by Japan's Eager Co. Ltd. But this is a scarier looking robot with smooth skin-like contours and a bald head with eyes and nose. This has the size of a toddler and is equipped with Internet communication with the intention of becoming a physical stand-in taking the place of a remote user.

In September 2010, the Elfoid P1 was announced which is a handheld little version of the Telenoid R1 with the same eerie human-like appearance. The size of a remote control, this is a telepresence robot-cum-mobile phone. Telenoid and Elfoid were designed by Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University in technical alliance with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute (ATR).

LG has also introduced the Hom-Bot, known as RoboKing in the US. This does not possess a humanoid form, but that's hardly the point. Circular in shape, Hom-Bot possessed the Smart ThinQ feature that helped the robot to communicate with an iPhone or Android application. The built-in camera made watching live video feed possible. The strange part is that it was technically called a vacuum cleaner. But a price

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