The Hexbug Larva is a unique "robotic" insect (or 'bug' if you prefer) that slithers around on hard floors in a random manner; it has two "wheels", a flagellating tail, and an expanding/contracting {accordion-style} "thorax" that all work in concert to make it very lifelike.
It also has an IR sensor in its "head" that detects obstacles -- when an obstacle (such as a wall, door, low-hanging bedspread, wastepaperbasket, etc.) is within anywhere from one to several inches away in the Hexbug Larva's path, it backs up a bit, spins to the right, and resumes forward motion with no input required on your behalf (that is, you need not use your own fingers to tap the Hexbug Larva out of the way of an obstacle -- it is fully autonomous in this regard)
SIZE
To use your Hexbug Larva, just turn it upside-down and look for a small black slide switch near its "head". As the robot bug's "head" faces up toward the ceiling, slide this switch to the right.
The Hexbug Larva will then start to squirm and raise a stink -- this is perfectly normal!!!
Place the 'bug' on a hard floor (such as linoleum, Pergo, vinyl, hardwood, etc.) so that its 'head' faces away from you. The Hexbug Larva should now slither away, making turns in a random fashion, turning around before it hits something, pissing off the kitty cats, etc.
When you are finished using the Hexbug Larva, just pick it up and turn it over (as you did for turning it on); you may then neutralise it by sliding that that little black switch to the left.
To change the batteries in your shiny new (or corroded old) Hexbug Larva, turn it upside down. You'll see a small Phillips screw just in front of the robot's right wheel. Unscrew it, and lift both it and the battery door away (the screw is captive, so it should not just summarily fall out of the battery door, go in the rug, and later fall prey to the hungry, hungry vaccume cleaner) and set them aside.
Holding the little robot so that it's "head" faces up toward the ceiling, remove and dispose of or recycle the used AG13 button cells as you see fit.
Insert three new AG13 (or LR44) button cell into the compartment, orienting them so that their nipple-ends (-) negatives go in first.
Place the little plastic tit on the battery door next to the battery on the right edge of the battery compartment, and swing it back down. While holding it closed with one hand, use the other to tighten that screw. Finger-tight only please, or you might strip the threads in the screw hole -- if that happens, you'll very likely be SOL.
Done with that, fun yeah!!!
This is a "robotic" bug, not a flashlight meant to be thrashed, trashed, and abused. So I won't try to drown it in the cistern (toliet tank), bash it against a steel rod or against the concrete floor of a carport in effort to try and expose the bare Metalmarineangemon - er - the bare Metaltrailmon - um that's not it either...the bare Metalsusanoomon...er...uh...wait a sec here...THE BARE METAL (guess I've been watching too much Digimon again! - now I'm just making {vulgar term for feces} up...O WAIT!!! WHERE'S THE METAL?!?), let my mother's big dog's ghost, her kitties, my kitty or my sister's kitty cat piddle (uranate) on it, hose it down with my mother's gun, run over it with a 450lb Quickie Pulse 6 motorised wheelchair, stomp on it, use a medium ball peen hammer in order to bash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoņata, drop it down the top of Mt. Erupto (now I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piņata" too much again - candiosity is usually checked with a laser-type device on a platform with a large readout (located at Piņata Central {aka. "Party Central"}), with a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or with a pack-of-cards-sized device that Fergy Fudgehog uses; the cannoņata (also located at Piņata Central) is only used to shoot piņatas to piņata parties away from picturesque Piņata Island, and Mt. Erupto is an active volcano on Piņata Island), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analyses, or perform other indecencies on it that a flashlight might have to have performed on it. Therefore, this section of the Hexbug Larva's web page will seem a bit more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.
A side view of the Hexbug Larva.
Brief sequence of two videos that shows the Hexbug Larva in operation on a wooden floor in a confined space to show its onboard obstacle sensor doing its job (1), and two of our kitty cats being somewhat disinterested (though Nikki seems to be at least mildly interested) in it while the little robotic larva was thrashing about on my bed (2).
This video is approximately 16.00645662366 megabytes (16,14,523 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than eighty minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
TEST NOTES:
Unit was purchased at a Radio Shack store in Federal Way WA. USA late on the morning of 04-01-13 (or, "01 Apr. 2013" or even, "Apr. 01, Twenty Stick Boobs" if you prefer).
Product earned placement in the R/C Products Trophy Case even though it is not remote-controlled!!!
* While actuated, product grows longer & shorter with a period of approx 0.3 seconds (~3Hz) {though this motion is not truly continuous} via an extendable "thorax" that has a range of motion in the X-axis (horizontal) of approx. 10mm.
UPDATE: 04-10-13
I noted through casual handling that only the right wheel is attached to the motor; the left wheel just freewheels (spins freely).
PROS:
Fantastic little gizmo!!!
Behaves a lot like a real insect
Small size means you can take it just about anywhere
Durable at least to the point of where a cat pawing it is not likely to kill it
NEUTRAL:
Batteries it uses could be locally expen$ive or difficult to locate (though this battery type is actually quite common; which is why this is a 'neutral' and not a 'con')
Cats might try to eat it -- though I think the thrashing around & spinning wheels is likely to sour their taste (in fact, they might become a bit frightened of it after their first time catching it with their mouth!)
CONS:
MANUFACTURER: Innovation First Labs, Inc. Š
PRODUCT TYPE: "Robotic" motorised bug
LAMP TYPE: N/A
No. OF LAMPS: N/A
BEAM TYPE: N/A
SWITCH TYPE: Slide on/off on bottom of product
CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
BEZEL: N/A
BATTERY: 3x AG13 (LR44) button cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND DOG URANATION-RESISTANT: Very light splatter-resistance at maximum
SUBMERSIBLE: DER TEUFEL TRÄGT EINE WINDEL PINKELN-GETRÄNKTEN NEIN!
ACCESSORIES: Carrying/storage case, 3x AG13 button cells
SIZE: 98mm / 108mm L* x 32mm W x 29mm H
WEIGHT: 28.70g (1.010 oz.) incl. batteries
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Unknown
WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated
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SIZE
) Hexbug Larva, turn it upside down. You'll see a small Phillips screw just in front of the robot's right wheel. Unscrew it, and lift both it and the battery door away (the screw is captive, so it should not just summarily fall out of the battery door, go in the rug, and later fall prey to the hungry, hungry vaccume cleaner) and set them aside.
- now I'm just making {vulgar term for feces} up...O WAIT!!! WHERE'S THE METAL?!?), let my mother's big dog's ghost, her kitties, my kitty or my sister's kitty cat piddle (uranate) on it, hose it down with my mother's gun, run over it with a 450lb Quickie Pulse 6 motorised wheelchair, stomp on it, use a medium ball peen hammer in order to bash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoņata, drop it down the top of Mt. Erupto (now I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piņata" too much again 
