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My history with the pint-size bot goes way back.
I’ve tested or tried virtually everySonyAibo robot since its introduction 25 years ago.
The history of Aibos
Ignoring the robot pup’s early and continuing innovation is impossible, even as Sony sometimes denied it.
On May 11, 1999, it wasnt clear Sony had any intention of broad commercial availability.
Larger and dare I say cuter than the original Aibo, the ERS-111 was also more adept.
The history of Aibos
Once again a trendsetter, Aibo rode a scooter across my conference room desk.
The missteps
It wasn’t just Aibo’s looks.
I do recall Aibo scooting itself right off the table.
Aibo ERS-111
A side panel popped off but it was otherwise fine.
Sony could never make Aibo more affordable because it stubbornly refused to skimp on the components or intelligence.
They did not catch on.
Macaroon was cute and cheaper but uninspiring.
In 2001, Sony made a brief detour with Aibo.
TheERS-220turned it into a terrifying cross between the original pup andRobocop’s ED 209.
Honestly, the less said about this misfire, the better.
Sony Aibo ERS-7
It had floppy ears and a smoothSnoopy(circa 1970s) face.
Sony also designed the ERS-7 to be a sort of watchdog and mobile entertainment system.
Its AI allowed it to learn and change over time.
The desktop-control interface for the ERS-7
Dont get me wrong, this was noChatGPTpuppy but the ERS-7 was still impressive for its time.
Aibo had once again failed to find its charge base.
I also recall us all being visibly upset at the discovery.
The author and Sony Aibo ERS-1000
We’d become attached to the little robot and couldn’t bear to see it in distress.
By 2006,Sony had discontinued Aibo.
More than a decade later Sony revived Aibo as a redesigned and unmistakable puppy.
Still, when I finally brought a test unit home, it felt likeit was worth every dime.
25 years on, is Sony Aibo still a thing?
Still, I like to imagine how access toChatGPT,Gemini, and other LLMs might transform Aibo.
They could call it Aibo AI if it weren’t redundant.
