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Blogger Tim Hornyak recently introduced us to Robochan, an adorable iPhone controlled robot. In posts on Pink Tentacle and CNET, Hornyak explains that a Japanese developer has, “turned an iPhone 3GS into a humanoid robot by wiring it to a mechanical body.”

Robochan is part iPhone, part Kondo Kagaku KHR-2 HV kit robot. The robot’s head is an iPhone that’s wired to its body through Apple’s 30-pin dock connector. The developer created software that controls Robochan’s movements, allowing it to display a variety of facial expressions, dance to music, and perform other movements based on user interaction.

Mostly Robochan just makes us happy, but it’s a sure sign the External Accessory API that Apple introduced last March as part of iPhone SDK 3.0 is catching on. At the time, people (at least the media), were a lot more excited about being able to cut and paste with iPhone OS 3.0 than the prospect of using their iPhone or iPod touch to communicate with accessories through the dock connector or Bluetooth.

It’s hard to say when, but we’re predicting a boom in iPhone-controlled accessories. There are so many possible applications: medical devices, game controllers, you name it. It’ll be the coolest thing since… well, the App Store. And yes, some will probably feel a little silly for caring so much about cut/copy/paste.