Aibo gets wheels
Published: 16 Oct 2002 14:54 BST
Go, Aibo, go!
Sony's Entertainment Robot America division has released a four-wheel "Speed Board" scooter for its Aibo robots that will allow them to skate around, the company said on Wednesday.
The Speed Boards will be available online and in US retail stores in November, and will cost $249.
Compatible robot models will also respond to voice commands from consumers, such as "turn right" or "turn left." When the Aibo is not "zipping around" on its Speed Board, it will randomly dance, Sony said.
Sony is heavily promoting Aibo for the upcoming holiday season. The robot dogs made their debut in 1999 and have become wildly popular with gadget and dog lovers.
Sony has already announced new features for the Aibo that allow it to recognise its owner's name, voice and face, and to automatically recharge itself. Meanwhile, other companies are working to popularise consumer robots. IRobot, a privately held company, recently unveiled Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner.
"With the holiday season upon us we thought that now was the perfect time to offer Aibo a toy of its own," Victor Matsuda, vice president of the Entertainment Robot America division, said in a release. "Aibo fans have voiced a strong request for functionalities that showcase the robot's abilities. The Speed Board pushes the robot's entertainment capabilities to the extreme."
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