When it comes to consumer robots, it’s hard not to think of Sony’s Aibo which was launched more than a decade ago. However recently we have been hearing reports that Sony could be relaunching the robot, and sure enough it looks like the reports were true as Sony has since relaunched the Aibo robotic dog.
As you can see in the video above, the new Aibo certainly looks a lot more friendly and dog-like compared to the previous model. Whether or not this is a good thing depends on your personal preference of course, but we reckon the friendly face and expressive eyes does make it more approachable.
As expected, Aibo will be able to respond to voice commands from its users. It can also wag its tail, do tricks, and its eyes can convey “emotion” thanks to the use of OLEDs. There is also a built-in SIM slot which means that you can connect Aibo to the internet wherever you go and access the cloud to help it analyze what it sees and hears. It is also expected to be able to learn from other Aibos connected to the network (hello robot dog army!).
According to Sony, they have designed the Aibo to be a companion robot as opposed to a tool like Google Home or the Amazon Echo. It will be priced at 198,000 Yen (~$1,740) and is currently available for pre-orders in Japan where it will officially go on sale January 11, 2018. There will also be a subscription of 2,980 Yen a month for a minimum of 3-years to access the cloud service and download new features.