The much anticipated Sony “aibo,” the autonomous entertainment robot, as of now is available for pre-order. How does the “aibo” work and what does it do?
The aibo has life like expressions and an array of movements to communicate with its owner. Its body language is expressed through a combination of eye, ear, and tail movements as well as different voice sounds. 
Sony developed ultracompact 1- and 2-axis actuators to bring aibo to life and allow it to express its emotions. The aibo‘s compact body allows it the freedom move along a total of 22 axes and make its smooth, natural movements possible. The aibo utilizes two OLEDs for its eyes to allow for diverse expressions. It also comes with fish-eye cameras that utilize simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM) technology. Similar to a dog, aibo can detect words of praise, smiles, head and back scratches, petting, and more. It also does a fake pee stance. 
Eventually, the aibo will learn and remember what actions make its owners happy. As time passes, it will also become more aware of its environment. With its inbuilt sensors it will learn to walk around an increasingly wider area and respond to situations accordingly. Another great feature is that owners no longer need to call for their autonomous entertainment robot, aibo will actively seek out its owners.
The aibo’s AI technology allows it to interface with the cloud. Through aibo’s AI technology it learns from interactions with its owners and develops a unique personality. The 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.
The aibo will be available for purchase exclusively through the Sony Store, Sony’s direct retailer. Pre-orders are available starting now through the Sony Store website (Some parts of website only accessible in Japanese, pre-order numbers are limited).
I think the aibo would be a pretty cool Holiday gift or to help teach children how to take care of a dog. More information about aibo will be made available through http://aibo.com/en and Sony Store Online.
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