'It's like a ground drone': I tested a cute little robot called Beni that follows and films you

Date:
Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Description:
I went hands-on with Mondo Beni, an adorable camera robot that can follow you around and maybe make you smile.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter When it comes to personal robots, Mondo's Beni camera robot might be the perfect mix of cute and utility, with an emphasis on cute.

As soon as I laid eyes on the pint-sized, two-wheeled bot, I was smitten. It darted quickly from place to place and, as Beni turned its square head in my direction and 'looked' at me with its two large and luminous eyes, I felt it peering into my lonely soul. Finally, a robot companion that wouldn't terrify me with grabby, slow-moving hands, or crowd me with uncanny valley legs and torsos. Unveiled a few months ago by Mondo Robotics and set to arrive in consumer hands in October, the self-balancing Mondo Beni was initially intended as a child's toy, but it had features in particular a 4K 60fps camera that can follow you around that appealed to creators. So Mondo pivoted, and now the $799 rolling robot is marketed as "your first camera robot". Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

In addition to the camera, which can also shoot 1080p 120fps slow motion,
Beni features a pair of sensor cameras that provide a 150-degree field of
view for tracking and obstacle avoidance. I watched as Beni's handlers used the iOS app to select subjects for Beni to track, and then Beni followed them around like a very obedient puppy dog. One Mondo exec described Beni as "a ground drone".

Beni is surprisingly resilient. When someone kicked the robot over, it instantly righted itself back onto its two rubber wheels as it shook its blocky head and made a little noise. You may like Hugging Face MicroDuck
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Honor Robot Phone is ridiculous, remarkable, and made me feel like a kid
again DJI's second-gen Romo robot vacuum looks like the lovechild of an HR Giger drawing and an iMac G3 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Programming cuteness One of the things that makes Beni so darn cute is all
the canned (Beni does not learn) animations and audio. It has about a dozen
of each, and they give the little white and orange bot a distinct
personality. There's a sort of programmed indomitable spirit; nothing can
keep Beni down or stop it.

It can effortlessly jump (up to 10 inches), flip, and backflip. For now,
those moves are triggered either via the app or a wearable remote control
with a super-easy-to-use joystick. Mondo would eventually like Beni to jump over obstacles as it sees them. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

I used the intuitive wearable remote to drive Beni and, with a press, make
the little robot flip. There's also a big red button to stop Beni or, with long presses, have it squat down or stand back up. Image 1 of 3 (Image
credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Beni with Mondo Marketing Director Cody Skene (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Beni starts with 32GB of onboard storage for collecting video of you as it tracks you on a walk or run (up to 17.9mph), or as it follows your pet around (assuming the pet doesn't attack it or run away in horror). There's also a built-in microSD card slot for additional storage.

You can take good-length walks or runs with Beni, because it runs (or rolls) for an hour and a half on a charge. There's a removable battery pack on the back with light indicators to show you Beni's life er juice level. What to read next Gundam suits, backflips, and a robot Harry Kane I met Agibot's humanoids up close, and couldn't believe my eyes UBTech introduced its first realistic humanoid, which it could make into replicas of loved ones Insta360 wants to replace photographers with an imperceptible photography robot

Beni ships with a pair of relatively smooth rubber wheels, but you can buy
the combo pack and get some accessories, including knobbier off-road wheels that are better equipped to handle dirt roads and hills. Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Image
1 of 4 View Original Image 2 of 4 View Original Image 3 of 4 View Original Image 4 of 4 View Original Beni arrives ready for you (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) One of the things I like about Beni is that it's not like a robot kit. The wheels, for instance, are easy to pop on and off, and nothing about Beni looks like it was made from an old Erector Set.

And, for better or worse, there is no dev kit. This is in contrast to the equally cute Pollen Robotics Microduck , another white and orange bipedal robot that can hang out with you (and use roller skates), but it's a bit more DIY than SMF (So Much Fun). Where Beni looks polished, the $399 Microduck looks a little more hand-built.

Beni can hear and follow some simple commands. The animations a head turn here, a shake there help it look like it's actually listening to you. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) Beni's innate adorability might help overcome the obvious privacy concerns. After all, the robot is no taller than an average chihuahua, and its camera is at ground level. To film you as it goes, Beni will be looking up. This might make some people around you
uncomfortable.

Maybe keep Beni to your solitary walks or runs, or make sure everyone around you knows that those cute Beni eyes are an indication that it might be filming.

I picked Beni up and found it surprisingly hefty, about the weight of an overfed puppy. It's cute to watch but not at all cuddly to hold. In fact, company execs told me that while there are lots of warnings about picking up Beni, the robot has no way of knowing if your fingers gets caught in, say,
one of the joints. It might be best to keep Beni away from small children.

All this capability, power, and cuteness comes at a price. Beni starts at
$799 (we've asked for international pricing) and starts shipping in October. It's not the ultimate robot, but Beni has the potential to captivate on looks and capability alone. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/its-like-a-ground-drone-i-tested-a-cute-little- robot-called-beni-that-follows-and-films-you-but-its-the-built-in-personality- that-won-me-over


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