Hardware
Robo-Puppy
Sony's R & D lab releases Aibo, a robotic, programmable puppy, and offers a glimpse of next-generation toys.
ByCarol Levin
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The ERS-100--known affectionately as Aibo (an acronym for artificial intelligence robot as well as the word for friend in Japanese) starts his exhausting day with a 40-second boot up, followed by a good stretch and yawn. At first, Aibo's wobbly gait resembles a pup just getting its bearings, but becomes more stable as it walks. Aibo can perform tricks such as lying down, getting up, and shaking hands. With the help of eye-based infrared distance sensor and a snout-based CCD camera, Aibo can chase a colorful ball. A microphone lets Aibo hear when called and respond by cocking its head in that peculiar puppy way in the direction of the caller.
Aibo's creator, Takeshi Yazawa, general manager of the Entertainment Robot Business Incubation Department at Sony, says a team of 24 researchers spent five years creating Aibo, which includes a 64-bit, 100-MHz RISC processor, Sony's Aperios operating system, 18 motors, a gyroscope to keep it stable, diode eyes for detecting color and distance, and a removable Sony Memory Stick conveniently located in its tail. Software lets owners program Aibo's movements from a PC and store them on the Memory Stick.
The 3.5-pound pup can run for about 1.5 hours on its lithium ion battery before it needs a 3-hour nap in its recharger unit. Yazawa dreams of developing a more evolved Aibo that can learn to speak English and recognize faces with image-recognition software.
Sony is manufacturing a limited Aibo litter (2,000 for the U.S. and 3,000 for Japan) at a cost of around US$2,500 each. The pup is available for purchase only through Sony's Web site at www.sony.co.jp/robot starting June 1.
