In 1999, Sony brought robotics into the home with Aibo (ERS-110). The technology employed to help Aibo become more than just a toy for kids was revolutionary. The robotic pup was capable of moving autonomously, reacting to stimuli and more; Aibo was almost the real puppy kids wanted, sans fur.
Aibo’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) was able to learn with experience, from speech recognition to gauging his environment for obstacles. He was quite a hit in affluent households that snapped up the limited run at US $2,000 a piece.
In 2001, Aibo’s brother, ERS-210, was announced, bringing more interaction and emotion to the family. Complete with touch sensors, better mobility to play with the kids and LEDs (face and tail) to indicate his mood, the ERS-210 could even be named and would respond when called. He also had a built-in camera for pictures on request. Later that year, Sony launched a cuter-looking version called Latte aka ERS-311, followed by 312 in black a year after.
Sony Aibo
Between 2001 and 2005, Sony unveiled yet another iteration with the Aibo ERS-7. He was equipped with wireless capabilities, allowing him to connect to devices around and transfer data — images, sound bytes. Looking a little more like his older brother, he featured a wider range of emotions with his array of facial LEDs. From voice-activated command action to playing fetch and still ready to learn from experience, the ERS-7 was quite a treat for the family, minus the mess, loss of property and the need to be taken outside for walks. Newer models featured concealed cameras with facial recognition to distinguish their owners.
In 2006, however, Aibo was ‘taken to the pound’ and Sony saw it fit to put him to rest peacefully. Although he was quite popular, Aibo never made his debut on a global scale, and the technology was phased out due to a lack of significant profits.
After an 11-year hiatus, Aibo is back, and better than ever. With LTE support and wireless cloud storage, the tech dog is now cuter, smarter (thanks to a 64-bit quad-core CPU), more agile (moving along 22 axes) and far more responsive than his older siblings (OLEDs for intuitive eye characteristics). Built-in microphones pick up commands faster and onboard cameras (fisheye) with simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) capabilities allow Aibo to get around obstacles quite easily. With beefed-up touch sensors to boot, Sony’s petite pet robot has made significant progress. The images and data he records can easily be accessed via his corresponding smartphone app.
Aibo is priced at $1,740 and available in Japan for now. And just like a real pet, you’ll also have to account for his “food”, an additional $26 ($789.75 for 3 years) for the little ‘bites’ he consumes every month from cloud storage, that include updates and additional “abilities” and functions.
Aibo’s evolution is remarkable, and his latest avatar is his best yet. It’s exciting to see just how realistic he’ll be in his next iteration.
Dhiram Shah is the Mumbai-based founder of LuxuryLaunches.com
