We’re happy to report that the My Keepon toy is coming along nicely!

Last week, the MyKeepon.com website went live with a new music video featuring the toy.

We’ve had wonderfully supportive interviews/coverage from Businessweek, Engadget, CNET Crave, MIT Technology Review, Automaton, Robots Dreams, and Adafruit. And our press release has just gone out on the wire.

My Keepon is available for presale in ToysRUs.com in the US (where it has made their Fabulous 15 List), and at other retailers around the world.

In other news, My Keepon saw his first public showings at World Maker Faire. Marek carried My Keepon around the Faire to the great delight of fans and Keepon noobs alike. The toy held up wonderfully to the enthusiasm, handling, and loud noise! We also printed mini-Keepons from yellow ABS plastic (with bonus googly eyes) on our MakerBot Thing-O-Matic and gave them to the most excited children (and a few very excited adults).

We’re as excited as you are that My Keepon will be hitting shelves in just a few weeks!

Become a fan on Facebook and follow My Keepon on Twitter.

Plum TV‘s technology show, Masters of Innovation, has created an episode about the Robotics Institute. We got a lot of great footage of Keepon interacting with kids at the Children’s School. The episode premiered on Plum’s resort cable network on December 23, 2010.

Keepon will be live on the Today Show tomorrow, April 15, just after 8am EST on NBC.  Keepon and Marek will be the studio guests in a longer segment on robots used in autism research and therapy.  Stay tuned for more news after the show.

UPDATE: Welcome, Today Show viewers!  Thank you for visiting our site.  Feel free to look around — check out Keepon’s videos, read some research papers, or grab a t-shirt.  If your interest runs deeper, please do get in touch with us about becoming involved with our project.

Keepon’s latest music video finds him exploring Korea in search of traditional Pungmul dancers. The video is hosted on YouTube, Blip.tv, Vimeo, and Cyworld.

Credits:
BeatBots (makers of Keepon):

• Hideki Kozima / 小嶋 秀樹
• Marek P. Michalowski

KAIST PES Design Lab:

• Jaewook Kim / 김재욱
• Bomi Kim / 김보미
• Sonya S. Kwak / 곽소나

Music:

• Superfantastic by Peppertones / 페퍼톤스 (2005 Cavare Sound)

Videography:

• Uyoung Chang / 장우영
• Minwoo Kang / 강민우

Pungmulnori dance team Ghil (Taroo) / 풍물놀이패 ‘길’ (타루):

• Kkwaenggwari / 꽹과리: Junhyung Park / 박준형
• Janggu / 장구: Seongbok Chae / 채성복
• Buk / 북: Sangmi Lee / 이상미
• Jing / 징: Mikyeong Kim / 김미경
• Sogo / 소고: Sohyun Park / 박소현

Keepon appears in tonight’s robot-themed episode of The Works, a show hosted by Keepon’s friend Dan Wilson.  Set your DVRs to September 25, 8pm EST.

UPDATE: Here’s the clip.