High-Tech Toys From MIT

Oh, MIT, you never cease to charm us. Today we came across another fabulous Media Lab creation, and best of all, it's not just some piece of gadgetry that is functionally nothing more than a toy - it's a real-life toy!

Robo Topobo is a set of Lego-like pieces that can be put together to make little articulated sculptures, which hook up to a Nintendo-esque controller. You press "record," move the sculpture around, and the movement is remembered and can be played back. The controller has four playback buttons, which, according to the website, will "make engineering lessons implicit in a child’s creative process." More importantly, though, it will take Rock-Em Sock-Em Robots to the next level of awesomeness. Also, one of the inventors of this thing is named Hayes Raffle, which is the best name we've heard since the Mets brought up Lastings Milledge from the minors.