Sony's AI-Enhanced Aibo Robot Dog Coming to the US

Sony's Aibo robot dog is back, and coming to the United States in September.

The Aibo First Litter Edition was first revealed in Japan last November, and Sony has since sold over 20,000.

The new Aibo is, of course, Sony's most advanced robot dog yet, integrating subscription-based cloud processing to enable its artificial intelligence features. There's a CMOS image sensor for facial recognition, along with a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) camera that enables Aibo to map out its surroundings like a high-end robot vacuum. Aibo also features four microphones for voice commands and extensive touch and motion sensors for interaction and orientation.

All these sensors guide Aibo's 22 axes of movement through sets of actuators in its legs, body, neck, head, ears, and tail. The extensive variety of movement points lets Aibo perform realistic, puppy-like movements and physically interact with users like a pet dog. A set of OLED displays for Aibo's eyes gives it a very expressive face to go along with its wiggling ears and wagging tail.

Aibo can be tracked, interacted with, and controlled with the My Aibo app for Android and iOS. It lets owners see what Aibo sees, share pictures it takes, and teach it different tricks.

Aibo's AI system functions through a cloud-based processing system, which both enables Aibo's various smart functions and uploads Aibo's experiences to Sony to further develop Aibo's AI engine. The cloud processing requires a subscription to Sony's AI Cloud Plan, three years of which are included in the First Litter Edition.

The Aibo First Litter Edition ships in September for $2,899, and includes the Aibo, a selection of toys for Aibo to play with, and an individually numbered dog tag.

For more interesting and cute robots, check out Anki's upcoming Vector robot.

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