Very few names are capable of eliciting the same manner of geeky nostalgia as Erector. The mere mention of the company's name brings a deluge of memories of flanges and bolts and motors. For many Americans it's on a par with the kind of nostalgia invoked by Legos. It's fitting then that the company pushes forth into the 21st century with Spykee, the Wifi and Bluetooth-enabled iPod-and-PC-compatible "spy robot."

According to Erector, Spykee is, "the first Wifi robot that moves, sees, hears, speaks, takes pictures, [and] creates video." The robot can be controlled from your PC via Wi-Fi. If Spykee detects movement while you're out of the house, he'll sound an alarm (perhaps not the most useful function when you're miles away) or send a picture via e-mail. As evidenced in the picture, the robot is also an iPod-compatible MP3 player. Users can also make phone calls with the robot using VOIP.

And of course, this being an Erector product, the Spykee come with more than 200 parts and can be built into three different robots. The Spykee is due out later in the year.

Also worth mentioning is the above R2D2 Webcam. The device, which retails for $300 (like the Spykee) is a slightly more affordable alternative to the company's R2D2 project, should these be the droids you're looking for.