Enjoy a pet without the mess with this robotic canine!

The world is full of reasons to love dogs. How could you not? They are cute, kind, thoughtful, and always trying to make friends. The world is also full of reasons to love technology. But is there a way to bring these two together? Is the world ready for robotic dogs?

The answer is yes! Petoi just gave us a unique chance to own a canine friend that's fully robotic — all you have to do is build it yourself. 

Successfully funded on Kickstarter, Bittle is a palm-sized open-source bionic robot dog. It evolves with an open-source gene, so it's an open platform that you can use to fuse multiple makers' gadgets into one organic system. But if you prefer to keep things simple, Petoi includes all the parts you need to bring your Bittle to life, including a lithium-ion battery that lasts one hour.

Bittle supports Scratch, C++, and Python coding languages, offering a wonderful chance to up your programming skills. It comes with a customized Arduino board, and you can clip on various sensors to bring in perception. You can also add AI by mounting a Raspberry Pi or other AI Chips to kick the experience up a notch.

With all of these incredible features, it's no surprise that bionic dog parents are thrilled with Bittle, and there are plenty of reviews to prove it. For example, one reviewer on G for Gadget was charmed with Bittle's educational possibilities, stating, "Bittle can be used for STEM education. It is an ideal gadget for teaching and researching STEM projects." Another review on The NewsGod said that this little tech canine could even stand in for a real-life dog, "The Petoi Bittle robo dog is a mini wonder. If you cannot afford to have a real dog, you can consider investing in this robot pet."

You can purchase Petoi Bittle: Palm-Sized Robot Dog for STEM & Fun! for just $299.

Prices subject to change.