A case of evolution in reverse? Last year's incrdebly cute robotic puppy has been succeeded by a somewhat magical, sometimes crude dinosaur! Something of a cross between an autonomous robot and an RC car, Boomer the Dinosaur has sensors that enable it to respond to different stimuli, letting you know how he is feeling by his behavior and particularly his glowing eyes. You can, for instance, pat his nose to make him happy and cool him down; but, watch out if his eyes turn red! Other input comes from his remote control. The way he balances, moving with his tail outstretched rather than dragging on the ground, is in keeping with modern theories about real dinosaur movement, so there is a bit of science if the idea of humans and dinosaurs playing together is a bit too Ken Ham for you! (And, remember, we're closer to the age of the Tyrannosaurus than it was to the age of the Stegosaurus!)
