Hasbro's Furby made into open-source programmable robot

A group of Polish roboticists are developing the Hasbro toy, Furby, into an open-source social robot platform, enabling the possibility of "full behaviour control." By replacing the 'brain' with a FLASH controller that runs the Robot Operating System (ROS) and replacing the eyes with small organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens, the Furby is easier to programme and control, and can carry out tasks such as showing weather forecasts or Facebook notifications.

Remember Furby? The cute reactive robot was all the rage a few years ago, when the strange chattering creature was found under many a Christmas tree. Most Furbys have been sadly neglected since then, but the Open Furby project aims to give the toy a new lease of life, transforming it into an open source social robot platform.

We’ve featured a few Furby hacks before, such as the wonderful Furby Gurdy and the Internet connected Furby but the Open Furby project aims to create an open platform, rather than creating a specific hack. It works by replacing the brains of the Furby with a FLASH controller that runs the Robot Operating System (ROS), making the Furby much easier to program and control. They have also replaced the eyes with small OLED screens, which means it can do things like show a weather forecast, facebook notification, etc.

It is still in the early stages, but it looks like an interesting project. Personally, I am waiting for the evil Furby that wants to kill you and eat your flesh with that nasty beak…