Word: aibo
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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That's all changed, apparently, with Sony's impossible-to-buy AIBO, a $2,500 robotic dog. Since I already have a somewhat cheaper pooch (Otto Quittner), I'm not interested. Also, no way would my wife let me spend $2,500 on something that wasn't a coffee table...
Since all 2,000 AIBOs destined for these shores have already been snapped up online, I was practically salivating when Sony reps let me take the floppy-eared robo-dog for a test drive. To the lucky prospective owners, I can report: AIBO is worth the wait. Five years in the making, this pup is a technophile's dream toy. He has a chip in each detachable limb. He has a camera in his nose. He chases after balls, as long as they're hot pink. He walks on all fours--a major cybernetic achievement, I'm told. He wags...
...AIBO won't recognize your voice, unfortunately, and his mouth is too small to carry a newspaper. In fact, he has no practical applications at all, though Sony hopes developers may one day produce upgrades. Then again, the current AIBO is the kind of pet that I (and 2,000 others) like--utterly useless, and utterly cute. Guess I'll have to settle for a hamster...
...BEST FRIEND Looking for the perfect pet, one that never slobbers, growls or barks in the night? Meet Sony's AIBO (Artificial Intelligence Robot), a foot-tall plastic pup, powered by computer chip, that can walk, sit, lie down, even raise a paw in the air. Stroke a sensor on its head, and AIBO wags its tail; throw a ball, and a digital camera in its snout will track it. A remote control turns it left or right. Available at www.world.sony.com/robot/for $2,500, AIBO costs more than most purebreds. But it doesn't shed, can't dig holes...