Sony has unveiled aibo, the evolution of its autonomous robot dog that now comes with artificial intelligence. As the latest iteration of the beloved robotic companion, aibo features an adorable appearance, vibrant movements, and a responsiveness that is sure to delight. It will also develop its own unique personality through everyday interactions as it grows closer and closer to its owners.
Its cute, rounded appearance makes you want to reach out and pet it, while its seamless design is captivating and brimming with life. aibo shows its love for its owners through lifelike expressions and a dynamic array of movements. Its body language is expressed through a combination of eye, ear, and tail movements as well as different voice sounds.
In order to bring aibo to life and allow it to express its emotions, Sony developed ultracompact 1- and 2-axis actuators. These give aibo’s compact body the freedom to move along a total of 22 axes and make its smooth, natural movements possible. Furthermore, its eyes utilize two OLEDs to allow for diverse, nuanced expressions.
Not content with merely waiting around to be called, curious little aibo will actively seek out its owners. What’s more, aibo can detect words of praise, smiles, head and back scratches, petting, and more, allowing it to learn and remember what actions make its owners happy. Slowly but surely, aibo will also become more aware of its environment, and as it gains confidence it will learn to walk around an increasingly wider area and respond to situations accordingly.
This adaptable behavior is made possible through Sony’s well-cultivated deep learning technology, in the form of inbuilt sensors that can detect and analyze sounds and images. aibo also comes with fish-eye cameras that utilize simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) technology, allowing it to lead its life in close conjunction with its owners.
As it interacts with people over time, aibo’s behavior slowly changes and adapts in response to its unique environment. It eventually becomes able to respond to its owners’ affection in kind, and when it feels loved, it will display even more love and affection in return, nurturing a bond that only deepens as time goes on.
These perpetual changes are brought about through Sony’s unique AI technology, which allows aibo to interface with the cloud. aibo’s AI learns from interactions with its owners and develops a unique personality over time. Further, with its owners’ permission, aibo can collect data from these interactions, then connect to the cloud and access the knowledge accumulated from interactions between different owners and their aibo to become even more clever.
all images and video courtesy of Sony