IN MY 15 years of reviewing tech, this pellet-firing, story-telling, pretend-urinating robot attack dog is easily the strangest thing I’ve ever tested.
It arrives in a slightly battered box following a series of questionable decisions on Temu, and I’m immediately drawn to the words “FIRE BULLETS PET” emblazoned on the box. And there, resting behind the protective plastic window with all the innocence of a newborn lamb, lies the plastic destroyer of worlds that my four-and-a-half-year-old immediately (and inexplicably), names Clippy.
Clippy is a robot dog. Of sorts. And he (my son assures me that it’s a he) is clearly influenced by the remarkable, and somewhat terrifying, robotic canine creations of Boston Dynamics—a renowned company that’s leading the robot revolution.
Naturally, given the $50 price tag (a little less if you don't want the—ahem—spinal-mounted pellet gun), I’m not expecting Clippy to perform miracles. But, given my track record, being served an Instagram ad promising all manner of animatronic wizardry for less than the cost of a round of drinks in a London bar, the opportunity was too tempting to pass up.
What happened, almost inevitably, was a lesson in not taking the social media ads you are served at face value. But, actually? It was also a lot of ridiculous fun.
