Spike the Dino Ripe for Hacking

Posted 12 Jul 2008 at 20:40 UTC by Rog-a-matic

Spike the Ultra Dinosaur walks, roars, snorts and rears up to devour galkers, but only under remote control as sold. Using a Basic Stamp or similar microcontroller, Spike looks like a great candidate for hacking by a enterprising robotisist who wants to bypass the drudgery of mechanical design. Made by Fisher-Price and sold through retailers like Toys-R-Us for around $140, Spike stands 27" tall and runs on a rechargeable 9.6v battery. At the very least, computer control of Spike's impressive array of LEDs should create an awesome Christmas display.