Remembering Aibo

Sadly, Sony has decided to put Aibo to sleep.

I recall my thoughts from November 2005:

Seeing the latest Sony Aibo robot dog made me wonder how long it will take before the simulation and the genuine article are basically indistinguishable.

Sure your Chihuahua can roll circles around Aibo, which was updated in October 2004 with a new brain and paint job. The ERS-7M2 is still slow and clumsy, moves jerkily and won't fetch anything that isn't hot pink. But it's also more coordinated and sensitive than earlier generations. Its limited artificial intelligence and array of sensors allow it to respond when being spoken to or petted. Aibo can also develop five "moods" and express them on its LED face. Compare that to getting your socks reprocessed by a miffed mutt.

Originally launched in 1999, the plastic pooch can now be remotely controlled and can house sit, detecting moving objects, faces or sounds while you're away and emailing you recordings via wireless LAN. If you'd rather not be licked into consciousness by an animal in the morning, Aibo can wake you with gentle music.

What struck me when I saw the 1.65 kg robo-hund at Sony Style in Tokyo's Odaiba was how smoothly it repositioned its body to chomp down on a toy bone at an angle to its maw. It also self-parked in its Energy Station recharger when its juice was low. At one point, it seemed to be really watching me.

Others were also entranced by the machine, showing that robot therapy isn't just the stuff of science fiction. What will Aibo be like in five or ten years? It seems only a matter of time before its motor functions and interactive powers approach lifelike levels. Heck, coat it with fur instead of pearl black polymer and lazy students asked about their homework might just quip, "Sorry, my robot ate it."