Hologram Probe

Hologram Probes are recurring enemies in the Crash Bandicoot series, they are spherical in shape and have the ability to hover. There are two variants of the probe; one is equipped with a large lens, and the other is spiked and has a small lens protruding from the top. The lens probes can be defeated with a simple spin attack but the spiked variant can only be defeated with invincibility or at the cost of an Aku Aku mask making them a bad hazard while crossing gaps between platforms.

Crash Bandicoot
The hologram probes debut in the original Crash Bandicoot game. In this game, they primarily appear in the machinery-based levels including Heavy Machinery, Cortex Power, Generator Room, and Castle Machinery. They do not attack Crash but instead hover around paths and gaps that require Crash to time his jumps to avoid them.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
The hologram probes return in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. The lens variant makes a cameo appearance as a hologram projector in the warp room projecting Cortex, Coco or Brio. and the spiked probes appear in the darkness levels, Totally Fly and Night Fight. They act similar to the ones in the original Crash Bandicoot game, where they act as obstacles that Crash must avoid. They cannot be defeated in anyway in this game, and Crash will take damage if he touches one. One slight change to these robots though is that they emit light from their lens and their underside and can be seen in the dark without the use of a firefly. It is possible to bypass them via crawling or sliding underneath them, although performing the former will waste precious time with the firefly.

Crash Twinsanity
The probes return in Crash Twinsanity after a seven-year absence from the series, but with a new dark red color to them. They are only seen in Ice Climb where they simply float in the same place they're in, but outside the caves, they move from left to right over steaming pipes. If they are hit, they will fly and hit the ground, sparking and disappearing in a flash of white light.

There is another version of the probe that can be seen in a Green Gem enemy gallery but it does not make an appearance. This bizarre probe is like the spiked version but features legs.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Both the Hologram and Spiked variants return in the remastered Heavy Machinery of Crash Bandicoot. They are now more realistic in design and are given a more metallic texture. It is very likely to return to the other factory themed levels.

Changes
The spiked probes are colored rusty gray on the original Crash Bandicoot game, with several small vents on themselves and a telescope-like eye. In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, the Crash Bandicoot model was used but instead have a plated outer shell and has a blue hue on the top half of its body. In Crash Twinsanity, they have a new red color, lacking any differences.