It’s been nearly 20 years since Sony first introduced its AIBO robot “dog” (pictured above) and more than a decade since it stopped making new ones, sending AIBO off to live at the grandparents’ robot farm upstate. But the dream of a mechanized, artificially intelligent canine-ish companion has apparently not died, with a new report claiming that Sony is looking to unleash a new robotic puppy on the world as soon as this coming spring.
Sources familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal that — just like parents replacing a dead dog with a lookalike one — the new robo-pup will resemble AIBO, though this one will come with a new ability to control other appliances in your home.
Why? Why not?
Last year, the company’s CEO Kazuo Hirai said Sony was working on “a robot capable of forming an emotional bond with customers, and able to grow to inspire love and affection,” the WSJ notes.
The company is reportedly going to unveil the robot dog at an event in November, but it’s unclear if it’ll call it Aibo again or dub it something else. Robo Rover? Smart Spot?
Or maybe just Robo Puppy would do:
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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