Las Vegas ( CNN ) -- For David Shafter , it should have been a dream : A crush of excited people swarming his booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show , where his startup is launching its first product . But all the people hoisting cameras and raising themselves on tiptoe for a better view Wednesday afternoon were n't there to see his robot . They were angling for a peek at pop star Justin Bieber , who was making an appearance at the booth next door . `` We 're pretty much shut down , '' said Shafter with a weary look of resignation , as rubberneckers squealed and shouted `` Justin ! '' in the background . `` We ca n't run our demos . '' Shafter 's fledgling company , Xybotyx , is making its first appearance at CES to introduce its Xybot , a hockey-puck-shaped robotic device that zips around on little wheels , controlled by an iPhone or iPod Touch . Owners can download apps to their phone that give the robot specific behaviors , like avoiding obstacles . The gadget will go on sale this spring at the quirky price of $ 111.11 . But none of the hundreds of people pressed up against his booth cared about that . They only had eyes for the teen singer with the sideswept hair who was greeting fans nearby at the TOSY booth , where he made an appearance on behalf of that company 's new mRobo , a portable speaker that morphs , `` Transformers '' style , into a little dancing robot . Middle-aged tech execs are n't exactly Bieber 's demographic , but many onlookers said they were there to get photos or autographs for their teen-age kids . Some people even asked if they could climb atop Shafter 's plywood demo table to get a better view . ( The answer was no . ) `` It 's the best of times , it 's the worst of times , '' grumbled Shafter 's business partner , Xybotyx co-founder Dan McShan , surveying the madness surrounding him . `` We 're trying to get him ( Bieber ) to defect . '' Shafter said he was planning to approach CES officials about compensating him for his lost booth time during Bieber 's two-hour appearance . `` It 's definitely costing us valuable hours of time with our target audience , '' McShan said . In the meantime , however , Shafter had another plan : If he could n't beat them , he was going to join them . He placed one of his robots on the floor and , using his iPhone , began navigating it toward Bieber in the hopes of getting a remote-controlled picture . `` I was driving it up to the Bieb , '' he said with a grin a few minutes later . `` I made it about halfway there . But the security guard grabbed it . ''
Entrepreneurs had misfortune of a CES booth next to where Justin Bieber was appearing . The event is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and will feature more than 100 exhibitors from around the world. Startup co-founder : ` ` It 's the best of times , it 's the worst of times ''