Who’s a good bot?
Sony is bringing the latest incarnation of its Aibo robotic dog to the US. At an event in New York today (Aug. 23), the company said it plans to make the “autonomous robotic ‘puppy’ companions” available for order in September, with the hope of shipping them before the US holiday season.
The new pup has an array of sensors and cameras meant to make it feel more life-like than previous models. It’s supposed to learn its owners’ faces over time, and develop a distinct personality based on how people interact with it. And, as it’s a new dog, you’ll also be able to teach it new tricks, as they’re made available by Sony. It also responds to other pets and soothing scratches, as any good dog would.
The sensors allow Aibo to record what it sees, which gets distilled into daily memories owners can review through the dog’s companion app.
Sony, which first introduced the Aibo in 1999, hasn’t released an updated version since 2003. The new model was announced late last year, and the initial models sold out in Japan within minutes. The US model package, which Sony is calling the “First Litter Edition,” will come with the robot, toys, a three-year cloud-storage plan, and an individually numbered dog tag. Sadly this robotic pet will not come cheap: It will cost $2,899 when it launches.
Outside of its PlayStation division, Sony has struggled in recent years in the consumer-electronics market. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Michael Fasulo, Sony Electronics’ US president and chief operating officer—who also introduced the Aibo today—told Quartz the company is attempting to return to its premium roots.
“If you look at the broader strategy that’s coming to life in Aibo, there’s some really core technologies that Sony’s built up over the years,” Fasulo said in Las Vegas. “We’ve been doing this for more than seven decades.”
Whether a costly robotic dog will be enough to hold off the likes of Apple, Samsung, LG, and ever-more affordable Chinese consumer electronics brands, is unclear.