We've always wanted a surveillance robot; a Wi-Fi-enabled, vidcam-wielding sneakabot that can be controlled remotely via PC, either locally or far away through the Internet. Well guess what, we've found one - and it makes every other spybot we've encountered look about as hi-tech as Dusty Bin off 3, 2, 1. (Ask your parents).


Spyke is a jaw-droppingly sophisticated, build-it-yourself robot that acts as your walking (well, rolling), talking spy. But there's more to this amazing Wi-Fi friendly contraption than sneaky surveillance.


Spyke is also a wireless VOIP phone, webcam, digital music player for your MP3s and fully functional, stair-climbing RC robot. It can even scrub your back in the bath. Okay it can't but who cares about that when you're sitting at a computer watching and listening to your housemates via Spyke's built-in camera and mic.


To augment its incredible surveillance skills, Spyke has motion sensors that can detect surroundings and intruders; if something moves Spyke activates an alarm on your computer or sends you a picture of the scene by email. Impressive? It's like something off Mission Impossible. Spyke even scuttles back to its recharging station automatically when its battery runs low.

The biggest surprise of all is that this mind-blowing triumph of technology is made by Meccano - the last time we fiddled with that it was all about nuts and bolts. Talk about one giant leap for gadget-kind! One thing that hasn't changed is the satisfying feeling you get when your all-seeing, all knowing, do-it-all droid is assembled. And versatility is still key because you can make three different robots out of the 210 Meccano parts in the box.

We're currently using Spyke to spy on...sorry, monitor goings on over at the Firebox warehouse and we can confirm that supplies of this utterly astounding robot are limited. So hurry up and get ordering - the robots are coming!