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Robots

Your Guide to the World of Robotics

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Thumbnail image of Aibo (1999)

Aibo (1999)

Details

Aibo is a robotic dog designed to be an "intelligent and trainable robot companion." It walks, barks, whines, growls, wags its tail, and plays with a ball while never requiring owners to clean up after it.

Creator
Sony
Country
Japan 🇯🇵
Year
1999
Type
Consumer
Creator
Sony
Country
Japan 🇯🇵
Year
1999
Type
Consumer

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Did You Know?

In Japan, the first production series (3,000 units) sold out in 20 minutes.
Early models lifted their legs to "urinate," a feature that was later eliminated.
Aibo enthusiasts created "personalities" that can be uploaded to the robots, including "Terminator Aibo" and "Disco Aibo."
Aibo stands for Artificial Intelligence roBOt. The name also means "pal" or "partner" in Japanese.
The first-edition Aibo (ERS-110) is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
Sony reportedly created a special "crystal" see-through ERS-7 Aibo prototype, of which only one exists.

Specs

FEATURES
Adaptive behavior based on interactions with humans. Programmable with Sony OPEN-R software development kit.
HEIGHT
27.7 cm | 10.9 in (ERS7 model)
LENGTH
31.7 cm | 12.5 in
WIDTH
18 cm | 7.1 in
WEIGHT
1.6 kg | 3.5 lb
SPEED
N/A km/h | N/A mph

SENSORS
CCD color camera, two microphones, infrared sensor, accelerometer, temperature sensor, touch sensors (head, chin, back, and legs).
ACTUATORS
20 motors
POWER
Lithium-ion battery, 1.5 hour of operation
COMPUTING
64-bit RISC processor, 64 MB RAM, wireless network, speaker, Memory Stick slot.
SOFTWARE
Sony Aperios real-time OS. AIBOware (Aibo's AI software).
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF)
20 (Head: 3 DoF; Mouth: 1 DoF; Leg: 3 DoF x 4; Ear: 1 DoF x 2; Tail: 2 DoF)
MATERIALS
N/A
COST
$1,600 (ERS7 model, 2003 retail price)
STATUS
Discontinued
WEBSITE
http://www.sony.net

History

Sony unveiled Aibo on 11 May 1999 with a retail price of $2,500 (250,000 yen in Japan). The first generation (models ERS-110 and ERS-111) sold about 65,000 units. Second-generation models were released in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Third generation models arrived in late 2003, and the ERS-7M3 model, released in 2005, was the latest. From 1999 to 2008, Aibo was used as a platform in the robot soccer competition RoboCup, in the Four-Legged Robot Soccer League. The first International Aibo Convention took place in Tokyo in 1999 and continued for several years. The company would eventually sell more than 150,000 units until it decided to discontinue the robot in 2006 amid protests from Aibo fans. Many online communities for Aibo enthusiasts are still active today, and some versions of the robot now sell on eBay for thousands of dollars.