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Google Nexus S

Developers from Google and the Hasbro gaming company introduced several curious little creatures with Nexus S brains docked inside robot bodies at Google's I/O developers' convention on Tuesday. The exoskeleton-like frames contain batteries, a Bluetooth radio and servomoters enabling them to waddle around.

Unlike many robots, Hasbro's critters can actually respond to the environment around them. The Nexus' camera, touchscreen and handset sensors become the robots' eyes and ears. They then relay information to Google's cloud services via Wi-Fi, a process that enhances their responses to stimulation like tickling, shaking or being shown a Decepticon card, which scares them.

The male and female versions each blink, show emotions and even recognize people after taking pictures of them. This last process can lead to funny complications, as the robots decide if someone is a friend or foe once they click a picture.

Hasbro's creation is not the first robot phone, as Silicon Valley's Cellbots is in the business of creating truck, tank and other wheeled cases for smartphones. But although Cellbots' tanks could probably crush Hasbro's innocent-looking robots, they can't respond as naturally to their environments.

Google's penchant for cute robots doesn't end with Hasbro's invention. Motorola says a Droid R2D2 phone will become available in September. The device will be painted to resemble the handy little bot from Star Wars and will contain preloaded apps inspired by George Lucas' futuristic masterpiece.

Sadly, for now the robots are strictly prototypes and not yet for public sale.