In February there were stories in Wired and TechTV about a new Hasbro robot that appeared at the 2002 International Toy Fair. The new robot is an 18 inch toy R2-D2 complete with voice recognition, sonar, IR sensors, and a beverage holder. Slashdot posted a story on the new R2-D2 toy today. Considering the assortment of sensors and other hardware inside, this may be a great base for robot builders who don't mind a little hardware hacking. It will be available in Walmart by September or you can pre-order your R2-D2 today from Amazon.com. (Amazon also has more photos and a video clip)