Better still, I could control it with a games controller: One analog stick commanded front and back, while a second turned the little stack of electronics around. This adds an unusual in-game effect to the process, although you're simply streaming a view from your immediate vicinity. It's a surprisingly cool effect, but it's easy to imagine this kind of setup used for remote monitoring, or even a damn fancy telepresence call. Imagine combining this Oculus Rift view with something like SoftBank's Pepper robot and, well, things could get a little weird.

At CEATEC 2014 in Japan, the robot (which didn't have a name when I visited) is hidden away from the imposing booths of Fujitsu and Toyota. It's part of a stand showcasing entries for a Japan-based engineering and design prize, Gugen 2014. (In fact, last year's Gugen winner was the low-cost prosthetic, Handie, which you can hear more about here.)