Sony has announced the return of its robot dog companion, Aibo, after more than a decade. The brand new model is equipped with new technology like LTE connectivity and a smartphone app.
According to Sony, the robot pet is equipped to enable connections to humans around it. In its press release, the company said that the artificial pet "can form an emotional bond with members of the household while providing them with love, affection, and the joy of nurturing and raising a companion."
The robot has compact actuators that enables its body to move in 22 axes of motion. Its legs are designed to let it walk, sit, play with a ball, and even scratch its body. The pet can also do a range of motions with its tail, ears, and mouth. Its head can also turn and tilt just like an actual dog.
Aibo's eyes are made of OLED panels, which allows it to express a range of expressions. It is equipped with touch sensors on its head, chin, and back so it can detect when it is being pet. It also has a speaker to make dog noises, and four microphones that can receive voice commands. The nose is also equipped with a camera that allows it to see the environment.
The robot uses deep learning technology to process the data that it collects through its various sensors. It also has access to Sony's cloud infrastructure to learn from other Aibo units' experiences.
A companion app called My Aibo can be used to access the robot's settings and the photos taken by its camera. There are also additional tricks that owners can download for the pet dog.
Aibo is currently available for pre-orders in Japan and will begin shipping on Jan. 11. It costs around $1,700 with a subscription fee of around $26 per month for three years for access to LTE and Sony's infrastructure.
