Aibo is Sony's latest robot creation and there is a big chance that it may melt your heart.
Aibo is supposedly programmed with irrepressible curiosity, which means that it wants to know you, explore its environment and understand the ways of the world as well as be a little mischievous.
Aibo is the latest take on the robotic dog market that's been around since I was a kid, I must say it looks like a major leap as well.
The user's approach to raising your Aibo shapes its personality, behaviour, and knowledge, creating a unique environment for growth.
This means that Aibo is programmed with a form of AI, making it, in fact, one of the most intelligent consumer robot dogs.
Sony states that there's always an element of unpredictability with Aibo, so users can never be too sure what it might do next.
On their website they state, "Thanks to those highly variable communicative capacities, life with Aibo takes on a richer, more dynamic quality.
"Aibo uses its 'eyes' (a camera) as responsive interfaces, modifying its behaviour based on what it sees.
"Capable of detecting obstacles, bumps, people, and more, Aibo reacts accordingly.
More than just responding to what it sees this robot can supposedly also respond to touch and sound.
It also has a strange affinity for pink, as well as disliking heights and tight spaces.
Boasting the ability to learn and recognise faces, Aibo develops a familiarity with people over time.
That experience shapes Aibo's behaviour, too.
When it sees someone who's always nice and friendly, Aibo will get close and comfortable.
Aibo also keeps records of everything it experiences in day-to-day life, uploads the data to the cloud, and creates a database of memories that users can browse with the My Aibo app.
Users can even ask Aibo to take a picture and be able to preserve that moment for posterity.
All and all it does seem like this robotic puppy may be the most complete and intelligent one ever created.
