Wrex the Dawg

The basics

This robotic canine can run around your home in his two front legs and two rear wheels. He can be programmed to stay in automatic mode or you can also interact with him using a remote control. Wrex the Dawg also has different moods and can pee and ask for food like a real dog.

The good

Forget K9, this mechanical mutt would have been way more help to Doctor Who. OK, maybe Wrex the Dawg doesn’t have a laser, and maybe he couldn’t kill a Dalek, but he could distract it with his crazy rolling eyes while you and the Doctor head for some stairs. Looking like he was made on Scrapheap Challenge, Wrex has two wheels in place of his hind legs, and a rubberized bit of piping for a tail. With infrared sensors to detect obstacles, he runs around the room, and has different moods, including happy and crazy. You can even reprogram him to behave like a cat. Trust us, it’s very surreal.

The bad

It’s not the most sophisticated bit of AI we’ve ever seen. Also, leave him alone in your flat and he’ll leave little metallic faeces for you on your rug. OK, he won’t, but it would be bad if he did.

The bottom line

An amusing mechanical mutt, Wrex the Dawg is up there with Hooch and Spit the Dog for celebrity status – only without the annoying owners.