Aibo

Aibo is a friendly robotic dog whose personality and behavior evolves over time. It can recognize its owner's face, detect smiles and words of praise, and learn new tricks. And of course, it loves to be petted.

Creator

Sony

Year

2018

Country

Japan 🇯🇵

Categories

Features

A series of images of a white robotic Aibo dog moving it's paws around. — See Aibo doing some pawsome moves. Photos: Sony

More interactives

Did you know?

Things Aibo loves: attention, and anything pink. Things Aibo doesn't love: heights and tight spaces.

Overhead view of Sony's aibo robot dog. — I see you...with my nose camera! Photo: Sony

Close up of aibo's robot dog tail and a camera on its back side. — Aibo finds its way with a mapping and navigation tail camera. Photo: Randi Klett

History

Sony unveiled the original Aibo in 1999. The first generation (models ERS-110 and ERS-111) sold about 65,000 units. Second-generation models were released in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Third generation models arrived in late 2003 (model ERS-7), and the ERS-7M3 model, released in 2005, was the latest. The company would eventually sell more than 150,000 units until it decided to discontinue the robot in 2006 amid protests from Aibo fans. In 2017, Sony announced it was launching a brand-new version of Aibo, completely redesigned with more advanced mechatronics and AI. Model ERS-1000, priced at 198,000 yen (about US $1,750), was introduced to the Japanese market in early 2018. In August 2018, Sony announced that, after selling 20,000 new Aibos to Japanese consumers, it was making the robot canine available also in the United States. A bundle, including the robot, toys, and charger, retailed for $2,900. Also part of the package is a three-year cloud subscription plan, required for users to explore all features of the Aibo app. In 2024, Aibo celebrated it's 25th anniversary.

Camera view of a woman smiling and holding out her palm. — Aibo uses image recognition to detect people nearby. Photo: Randi Klett

Two robot dogs lying on their backs. — New dog, old tricks. Photo: Randi Klett

More Images

A group shot of four Aibo robotic dogs in different colors. — Aibo comes in many flavors including Espresso [front right], Black Sesame [back right] and Strawberry Milk [back left]. Photo: Sony

Specs

Overview: Model: ERS-1000. Cloud-based AI engine. Able to recognize and remember faces and voices. Adaptive and unique personality based on interactive learning. OLED display eyes that blink and close. Capable of performing mapping, SLAM, and obstacle detection. Self-charges when low on battery.
Status: Ongoing
Year: 2018
Website: us.aibo.com
Width: 18 cm
Height: 29.3 cm
Length: 30.5 cm
Weight: 2.2 kg
Sensors: Front camera for image recognition. Fisheye camera (near tail) for SLAM, or simultaneous localization and mapping. Time-of-flight sensor, two IR range sensors, four microphones, capacitive touch sensors (back, head, and jaw), two 6-axis motion sensor (3-axis gyro and 3-axis accelerometer) in the head and torso, motion sensor, light sensor, and four paw pad contact sensors.
Actuators: Ultra-compact 1- and 2-axis actuators
Degrees of Freedom (DoF): 22 (Head: 3 DoF; Mouth: 1 DoF; Neck: 1 DoF; Waist: 1 DoF; Legs and paws: 3 DoF x 4; Ear: 1 DoF x 2; Tail: 2 DoF)
Compute: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 64-bit quad-core CPU, 4GB RAM, 32GB ROM, LTE/Wi-Fi
Software: Custom OS, smartphone app
Power: Battery, 2 hours of operation
Cost: $2,900 (package for U.S. market with 3-year AI Cloud plan, plus ball, bone, paw pads, dog tag, and charging station)