'It's like a ground drone': I tested a cute little robot called Beni that follows and films you, but it's the built-in personality that won me over
Hey, little guy
by https://www.techradar.com/author/lance-ulanoff · TechRadarFeatures By Lance Ulanoff Published 24 September 2026
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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".
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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.
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.
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