The Sony AIBO – The World’s First Robotic Dog
Sony has always been known to push the boundaries of developments when it comes to its tech.
The Japanese cyber-giant reaches all corners of the industry and is undeniably one of the greatest ever to do it, but in 1999 Sony released something that would plunge them years ahead of their time - AIBO, the first ever A. I dog.
The AIBO [Artificial Intelligent Robot] was Sony’s attempt at recreating the experience you have when owning a biological dog. It would mimic the life of a puppy on initial purchase, and through interactions with its owners and surrounding would develop and shapes its own personality much like a real companion. The AIBO would in fact learn, and often people mention how bonds were created between them and their cybernetic best friend.
The AIBO would be able to ‘think’ by itself, show emotions through various triggers, and various memory cards could be installed to alter AIBO. Users could even hook themselves up to AIBO and programme their very own unique motions, making theirs completely personal.
AIBO was merely an idea in 1993 that was never meant to see commercial light. Initially just a research project, the mechanical pup would eventually be released in May 1999 for a whopping $2,500. Even with this sky-high retail price the first AIBO would sell out within 20 minutes online; the restock would go on to sell out in 17 seconds. This was incredibly impressive since selling exclusively online at the time was still relatively unorthodox.
Due to the success of the first iteration, Sony would release a second generation in 2000, equipped with a host of upgrades such as voice recognition, improved mobility, and touch sensors. Again in 2001 the AIBO would see another upgrade, and finally, in 2003 the AIBO would have its 3rd and final upgrade before its discontinuation in 2006; that is until Sony announced in 2018 that you in fact can teach an old dog new tricks and revived AIBO with updated technology and aesthetics.
The original AIBO has since become a collector’s item and finding one in working order is considered a rare gem.
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