Robots at CES 2014

With jewel-toned, lopsided eyes, Budgee was designed to be your friendly second pair of hands. This lightweight, three-wheeled robot has an eight-hour rechargeable battery and a 50-pound weight limit, so it can follow you around and carry your things. And it's relatively cheap: contribute at least $1,200 to its Kickstarter campaign, and your own Budgee will be slated to ship in July.

Now you can turn your mobile phone into a literal mobile phone. Rbot connects with your Android smartphone or tablet to allow it to roam around the house, all the while wearing a smiling face. It can be equipped with a telepresence app or simply programmed to play a video clip when it detects a person smiling at it. How's that for sociable? The Synergy Swan costs $450.

Less utilitarian but no less appealing, DiscoRobo detects nearby music and dances to the beat. With candy-colored hues and dozens of expressions, this toy was designed to be a party-loving playmate to the young and old alike. And at only $37, DiscoRobo was one of the most affordable robots showcased at CES 2014.

This cuddly creature isn't a toy; it's a $6,000 robotic caregiver. Designed to look like one of nature's most adorable animals — a harp seal — Paro is given to elderly patients who need more TLC than busy nursing homes can provide. Everything about Paro has designed to be saccharinely sweet, from a coat of antibacterial fur to a pacifier charging station.

This Japanese robot looks like a chibi version of the classic humanoid robot silhouette. Its name, "RAPIRO," is short for "Raspberry Pi Robot," and, as you might have guessed, it can be programmed and powered entirely by that credit-card-sized Linux computer chip. Launched from a successful Kickstarter, RAPIRO comes as a kit with some assembly required and costs $354.

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