Mondo Beni camera robot follows and films its owner

TechRadar’s Lance Ulanoff tested Mondo Robotics’ Beni, a small, self-balancing camera robot first intended as a child’s toy. The company now markets it as “your first camera robot,” with a starting price of $799 and shipping set to begin in October.

Beni has a 4K 60fps camera that can also record 1080p 120fps slow motion. Two sensor cameras provide a 150-degree field of view for tracking and obstacle avoidance. Ulanoff watched handlers use the iOS app to select people for Beni to follow. One Mondo executive described it as “a ground drone.”

The robot has 32GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot, and a removable battery that runs for an hour and a half per charge. It can follow people at speeds up to 17.9mph. Its jumps, flips and backflips are triggered through the app or a wearable remote; Mondo would eventually like it to jump over obstacles on its own.

Ulanoff reports that Beni uses preset animations and sounds rather than learning, and can respond to some simple commands. He also notes privacy concerns because its camera films from near ground level, and says company executives warned that Beni cannot detect whether a person’s fingers get caught in its joints. Optional accessories include off-road wheels. TechRadar says it has asked Mondo for international pricing.