Robosapien has been brought out of retirement and is heading back to shops in time for Christmas, this time with a new iOS and Android app allowing you to control all the action from your phone or tablet.

The new model, now dubbed Robosapien X, is the same 14-inch-tall robot designed by a NASA scientist that we've seen before but with an upgraded brain allowing it to perform a number of new tricks either via the accompanying dedicated remote control or a new app.

Users looking to control the robot (which has even appeared in porn movies - no, really), will be able to do so by plugging an IR dongle of a robot head into their phone via the headphones jack.

The new app allows you to do path tracing, create unlimited program steps with multiple program modes and ditch the remote in the box completely.

WowWee told Pocket-lint there were currently no plans to sell the IR remote dongle separately for owners who bought the first model all those years ago but, thanks to our suggestion, it was going to look into it.

In related, old robot news, the company has also confirmed it will be bringing back the Roboraptor at the same time.

The Robosapien X and the Roboraptor will both cost $79.99 when they come out in August.