Earlier this year, Bossa Nova Robotics unveiled the initial groundbreaking releases from their line of “personal entertainment” robotics. The first, Prime-8, provided further support of author Chris Roberson's insightful axion that “everything is improved by the judicious application of primates.”

The 12” tall, yellow ape uses specially-designed robotic arms and legs to “knuckle-run” at high speeds. The gorilla's personality transforms from serene, friendly, and blue-eyed to a crazy, beating the floor, roaring simian.

When he gets really pissed off, the ape rips a loud, obnoxious fart. In “Guard” mode he shoots rubber tipped missiles at intruders (perfect against little sisters). The robot receives commands through a video-game style remote.

Two users can even engage their individual 'bots in combat! Intended for ages 8-12, the Prime-8 retails for $99.99.

Their second robot, Penbo, a penguin covered with pink fur, waddles, flaps its tiny wings, and makes cooing sounds. She lays an egg that hatches into a baby, Bebe. Offspring come in four different colors, each with its own unique personality.

When the baby rests within the Penbo's pouch, they sing to each other while the mother joyfully dances. The mother and child converse in their own Penguish language. Penbo plays six games with the user including tag, hide-and-seek, and peek-a-boo. Two Penbos or Bebes brought together will talk and sing to each other. The adorable Penbo, suggested for ages 4-6, sells for $79.99.

RevolutionSF Editor-at-large Rick Klaw sat down with Bossa Nova's chief developer Sarjoun Skaff to discuss apes, penguins, cockroaches, Pittsburgh, and of course robots.

RICK KLAW: When did you first develop an interest in robots?

SARJOUN SKAFF: From childhood readings. One of the first books I read was Asimov's trilogy and my favorite movie was Return of the Jedi. I was also passionate about technology and science at school, so I pursued formal training in robotics. I planned my undergraduate studies at the American University of Beirut in a way that would allow me to apply to the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. I got in and researched advanced sensing and controls in mobile robots.

What do you think of the contemporary portrayal of robots in movies and books?

I think they are great at stimulating the public's imagination. It certainly helped create my childhood fascination with robots. The caveat is that robots are portrayed as advanced automatons with capabilities far beyond today's technology. This has raised the public's expectations of robots to unattainable heights, and this has probably slowed down the adoption of robots.

Fortunately, more and more robots are being built for the consumer market, some for entertainment and other to solve practical problems, so people are increasingly becoming familiar with real-world robots. This helps re-calibrate expectations and people learn that robots have limitations but can still be incredibly exciting.

When did the Bossa Nova core meet? And how long before you all started working together?

Bossa Nova has three founders: David Palmer, John Feghali and myself. I met John when he did an internship at the Robotics program where I was a graduate student. We collaborated on Skyworker, a space assembly robot for NASA. I met David later at a Brazilian gathering, he was a senior marketing executive at a multinational at the time. The three of us got together and decided to found a company with a vision of sharing robots with the world.

We called the company Bossa Nova Robotics, a tribute to the Brazilian culture that we love and that brought us together. The term was particularly appropriate as Bossa Nova also means new trend, a symbolism of the innovation in technology and product that *is* at the core of our business.

What was the genesis of Bossa Nova Robotics?

The founding idea behind Bossa Nova came from research on RHex, a six-legged robot co-developed by Carnegie Mellon and four other universities. RHex had the unique ability to run in a life-like motion, which was instantly attractive and totally exciting to children. Bossa Nova was created to transition the RHex technology out of the lab and share it with the public at large.

Why Rhex?

A research robot, RHex exhibits an extraordinary set of locomotion abilities, including walking, running, pronking, bounding, jumping, flipping, climbing stairs, and even swimming and diving. RHex's design was inspired from observing the way cockroaches were able to overcome varied terrain with ease. The lesson was that mechanical compliance was more important than sensor feedback, so RHex is equipped with carefully designed legs and requires little sensing to locomote.

But RHex also moves with grace, and has been confined to the laboratory for too many years. It is this life-like motion that we seek to capture in our robots, and we aim to get the technology out of the lab and share it with as many people as possible. This means reducing the cost of the technology, designing compelling products around it, and mastering mass-distribution channels. Prime-8 is the first product that is powered by this technology, and as with RHex, he rotates his arms to move fast, does not need sensing to move, and can run over multiple surfaces.

Why were an ape and a penguin chosen for the initial releases?

Both characters were chosen to highlight each product's most important feature. Prime-8 emphasizes power and speed, and the power of a gorilla was eminently fitting. In addition, just as gorillas have large arms, Prime-8's prominent arms are a showcase of Bossa Nova's biped running technology.

As for Penbo, she is unique in the way she creates an endearing connection with the user. Penguins have always captured the imagination of the public, and Penbo is no exception. The locomotion technology makes her waddle like a cute penguin, she is cheerfully animated and interactive and even communicates with her baby.

Obey Penbo.

How did you develop the final Penbo designs? None of you have been young girls (that I know of), so how did you approach creating a robot that appeals to young girls?

Yeah, all three founders are guys and we had to learn how young people play and interact; not only girls, but boys too. It turns out children today play differently than we did, so going back to our childhood memories for guidance is not good enough. We also learned that children at different ages play differently, so we had to further refine the products to fit each product's target age.

We learned from three main sources. First, we spent time talking to children in our target age to understand how they think and interact. We conducted formal and impromptu focus groups and tested concepts and features. We also spoke to teenagers, who are slightly older and able to articulate preferences and provide useful feedback. We sought feedback from boys and girls on both products. By the way, we are seeing that young boys also play with Penbo, for which we are very happy.

Second, we received valuable advice from marketing professionals who understood psychology and products, and built toys for a living. Many people from the industry provided free help and we are grateful for their generosity. Last, we read books on psychology and toy making. All this was done during product development, so we were able to change, adapt or improve features until we were satisfied with the results.

What are the group's individual roles in robot development for Bossa Nova?

I develop the technology, John defines the product and David manages the business. We are thrilled that Martin Hitch, formerly from Ugobe, has joined us as CEO to lead the company growth. Please note that these roles are changing rapidly as Bossa Nova hires key people to build more robots and make them available to more people around the world.

When I first starting writing comics in the early 90s, I got some strange looks and comments from family and friends. To many, I was just playing with kids stuff. What kind of reactions do you get when you tell them you design toy robots for kids?

The immediate reaction has usually been “cool!”, and it speaks to the widespread fascination with robots, and to the notion of fun inherent to toys. It is true that some expect robots to be already as advanced as C3PO, which is technically impossible today. So sometimes we have to explain that our robots adapt expensive technology and integrate it in a more affordable but still “cool” product.

Most creative types have some unusual idiosyncrasies when creating.(For example, I can't write with my shoes on.) Does this hold true for robot designers? What is your typical day like?

Not sure that we have had the luxury of idiosyncrasies. Until recently, there were only three of us and a handful of contractors, and we had to build both products by ourselves, so our days were full and intense. We needed to learn and execute every single aspect of product and business development, including fund raising, IP protection, product definition, design, technology development, programming, testing, problem solving, safety, certification, production in China, packaging, user manual, sales, distribution, toy fairs, etc. Juggling all this has forced us to create on the go.

This said, we have most fun when we brainstorm in groups. Our best ideas came from these sessions, and we have them as frequently as possible.

Why Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh has offered us incredible advantages to help us bootstrap the business. First, Carnegie Mellon provides technology, expert knowledge and hands-on help. Second, Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania provided us financing and logistical support to help us in the early stages. Last, we received great and sustained support from Pittsburgh's robotics and business communities, be it fellow robotics companies, researchers, or artists. Robotics is just part of Pittsburgh's fabric, and this makes it a great place to start a robotics business.

What differentiates Bossa Nova robot toys from previous robots?

Bossa Nova robots are characterized by fast-paced dynamic motions. Dynamics are not enough by themselves. The key is that they create a qualitatively new relationship between the user and the robot, and enable a new ways to interact and play with robots.

What future designs should we look forward to from Bossa Nova?

You can expect our products to build on fresh and exciting robotic technologies that come straight from research labs -- mobile robots, interactive characters, engaging experiences. That's all I can say for now, but rest assured that we are just getting started.