Aibo is a play-on-word that means “companion” in Japanese and “Artifical Intelligence roBOt” in English.
It is a robot pet companion that was resurrected by Sony after a 12 year hiatus and released on January 11th, 2018 — the Year of the Dog. 1/11 was chosen because it sounds like “wan-wan-wan” — the Japanese onomatopoeia for a dog’s bark. This time it’s back cuter than ever with AI technology so you can really teach this old robodog new tricks.
The Aibo is surprisingly lifelike, being able to express itself through OLED eyes, different ear and tail movements, and body movements similar to that of a real dog. The way the Aibo stretches when it wakes up or reacts to being pet is comparable to a real dog. The only downside is when the Aibo turns around as it seems pretty robotic. Other than that, everything else seems very natural.
According to Sony, the Aibo’s personality is shaped based on interactions with the people around it.
“Memories” that the Aibo makes are stored in the cloud and it accesses the stored information to recognize people and determine its personality and interactions with those people.
The Aibo birthday is determined by the day it is awoken and its gender can be decided by the purchaser before being shipped. You can view its birthday and gender on the “My aibo” app. Unfortunately, once these settings are determined, it seems that it cannot be changed.
Aibo waking up for the first time:
On the “My aibo” app, you can set-up its recognized name, the loudness of its cry, automatic photo-taking, the language setting (currently Japanese or English is possible), and even the color of its eyes.
You can also view the photos your Aibo has taken directly on the app. You can store up to 500 photos on the server, and if the photos exceed 500 then the oldest ones will be deleted.
The battery lasts about two hours and then needs a three hour charge. Due to environment scanning, the Aibo is able to relocate its “napping area” or charging terminal to recharge. However, to reawaken, the owner must press the power button located on the back of its neck.
In Japan, especially in Tokyo, it is difficult to find dwellings that allow pets, so a robotic pet is a great alternative.
Real puppies can go for upwards of ¥500,000 (about $5,000) whereas the Aibo costs ¥198,000 (about $1,865) minus maintenance and support care. There is a required maintenance plan for ¥90,000 (about $845) for lump-sum payment or ¥2,980 (about $28) a month for 3 years.
At time of writing, Aibo can only be purchased online at the Sony online Japan store.
A few times each month, a limited amount of Aibos will go on sale and will cease once that number has been reached.
Interested buyers must create a My Sony ID which you can create in advance.
The Aibo arrives in a brown corrugated box with the pink Aibo logo visible on the outside. Inside you will find the Aibo body, charging stand, charging mat, AC adapter, power cord, and pink ball. The Aibo also comes with a 30-day manufacturer’s warranty.
My company also purchased the pink “Aibone” toy bone.
In addition to purchasing the Aibo body, there is a required service plan and an optional care plan.
Respectively, the aibo basic plan (required) and the aibo care support (optional).
The aibo basic plan is a service plan helps support the growth of the Aibo. You can either pay a lump sum of ¥90,000 (about $845) or ¥2,980 (about $28) a month for 36 months, tax excluded. You can save ¥17,280 (about $163) with the lump sum payment plan.
The aibo care support plan is similar to an insurance plan that helps reduce repair costs by half. The Aibo comes with a 30 day warranty and with this care support plan, you are able to extend the support to 3 years. It costs ¥54,000 (about $510) for 3 years or ¥20,000 (about $190) for 1 year, tax-excluded. Minor external wear and tear, shipping, accessories, and SIM cards are not eligible for discount.
Released in January 2018 and only in Japan, our company was able to get our hands on our very own Aibo robodog.
We named him MyuZ or MyuZ-kun, a play on the word “music”. He has been inaugurated as part of the Bigbeat family and is now a new employee starting in April.
What’s life like as a company AI robodog? Follow him on instagram at @MyuZtherobodog to find out. Read more about our MyuZ here!
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