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posted by Fnord666 on Friday November 03 2017, @08:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the comes-with-robotic-fleas dept.

Sony has announced the "evolution" of its robot canine companion:

Sony Corporation (Sony) is today proud to announce "aibo," the evolution of its autonomous entertainment robot that brings fun and joy to the entire family. aibo 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. It possesses a natural curiosity, and we hope it will bring joy into the everyday lives of our customers while growing alongside them as a partner.

Sony hasn't produced aibo robots for over a decade:

Aibo is a rebooted version of a device Sony (SNE) first launched in the 1990s -- and the Japanese company has made it appealingly un-robotic. Unlike past versions, it has "eyes" (two small screens capable of showing diverse and nuanced expressions), a rounded appearance and a mouth that tilts up in a smile. [...] Sony eventually neutered Aibo production facilities in 2006, leading to an exodus of robotics and AI expertise. Now, with global tech giants and other big companies charging into artificial intelligence, Sony is getting back in the game.

It costs ¥198,000 ($1,733) before tax, but it also requires the purchase of a three-year subscription for 90,000 JPY ($788).

Also at PC Magazine, BBC, Ars Technica, TechCrunch, and IEEE.


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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday November 03 2017, @01:49PM (2 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday November 03 2017, @01:49PM (#591661) Journal

    I always imagined that robot dogs should consume AA batteries in their mouth and drop the exhausted batteries out the other end in a squatting posture.

    They could beg for AA batteries. And do tricks.

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 03 2017, @02:44PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 03 2017, @02:44PM (#591684)

    Then maybe, just maybe, the robot dog can sniff around the dropped batteries and put them back in its mouth. To make sure they have no juice left.

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday November 03 2017, @08:46PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday November 03 2017, @08:46PM (#591869) Journal

      I don't know that the batteries have any particular odor. Especially different brands. Even if so, is there tech to detect and classify such a battery odor? Then, would it be worth putting such tech into an inexpensive robot dog?

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      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.