Spykee instead of Spike to watch the house?

Spykee performs from the floor of DigitalLife 2007.

(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET Networks)

NEW YORK--Spykee, a communications robot from the toymaker Erector for $299, allows you to listen, see and record the surroundings of the robot from anywhere in the world through a Web-based software application.

Similar in function to iRobot's ConnectR robot, the Spykee offers a VOIP telephone that works with Skype 3.0 and a Webcam, as well as controlled movement around a room.

Spykee operates over a wireless network and is controlled through downloadable software that Erector refers to as its "machine man interface."

You can upload music to the device from a computer and it will function as an MP3 player.

While it's no robot army, the robot can also be used as a surveillance device. It can be placed in a corner and, when triggered by a motion sensor, the Spykee will immediately take 3 photos of what it sees and send them to a portable device.