Wouldn't it be FUN to have a plastic pal - your very own robot - well you CAN!

Of course... not all robots are fun...

Here's Marvin, everyone's favorite paranoid android, with genuine people personality!

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/19/boing-boing-tv-tanks.html

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/BEAM_robotics

BEAM robotics

The word "beam" in BEAM robotics is an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics. This is a term that refers to a style of robotics that primarily uses simple analog circuits, such as comparators, instead of a microprocessor in order to produce an unusually simple design (in comparison to traditional mobile robots) that trades flexibility for robustness and efficiency in performing the task for which it was designed. ...

he basic BEAM principles focus on a stimulus-response based ability within a machine. The underlying mechanism was invented by Mark W. Tilden where the circuit (or a Nv net of Nv neurons) is used to simulate biological neuron behaviors. ...
Other rules that are included (and to varying degrees applied):

Use the lowest number possible of electronic elements ("keep it simple")
Recycle and reuse technoscrap
Use radiant energy (such as solar power)