Sony to scrap AIBO (pulling the plug on robot dog)

[norml]

Sony to scrap AIBO


Ayumi Yokozeki, 11, left, and Shion Kawase, 6, play with Aibo at a hospital in Hachioji, the suburbs of Tokyo, Wednedsay, March 10, 2004 as one of the budding robot-therapy projects at Japanese hospitals. Sony Corp. announced late January, 2006 that it was scrapping the four-legged robot pet in March as part of the company's bid to reverse flagging fortunes and cut costs. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

The world's first mass-marketed robot, Sony's Aibo, recognizes its owners' faces and is programmed for sympathy, like a canine companion. Its eyes light up in red to show anger, green to convey happiness. It even learns its own name.

Aibo owners tend to be fiercely loyal, too. The robots have even been hacked by tinkerers seeking to add their own modifications.

But none of that prevented Sony Corp. from announcing last week that it was scrapping the four-legged robot pet as part of the company's bid to reverse flagging fortunes and cut costs.


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Typical of now-dispirited Aibo owners, Hiroharu Hashimoto, a Tokyo resident and student, isn't placated by Sony's promise to provide maintenance for the robo-dogs for seven years after production ends in March.

"Aibo is so symbolic of Sony quality I'm starting to lose faith in Sony's audiovisual products," said Hashimoto, a longtime fan of the company whose every home appliance practically is a Sony.

"The robot is like a real dog. It responds when I call it," he says. "It's so cute. It sulks. And it looks sad when things don't go right."

snip


Sony Corp.'s latest Aibo robot model ERS7M3 stretches himself next to a laptop computer screen displaying a diary format that is going to be kept by the pet robot with the newly developed Aibo Mind 3 software at a Sony showroom in Tokyo Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005. Sony announced late January, 2006 that it was scrapping the four-legged robot pet in March as part of the company's bid to reverse flagging fortunes and cut costs. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)


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http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060202p2a00m0na035000c.html

[tjdee]

1. Noooo! I wanted the cute one that looked like a dog!

But, Sony does suck, and I could have told you that when Tommy Mottola left their music division and they brought the suit in (who sucks and doesn't know music at all). Anyway.

These dogs cost too much. I wanted a Latte or a Macaron, and I think it was like 650-800 bucks. I mean, come on.

They were cute though (the ones I wanted, anyway LOL):


For some reason they went away from the cute look and straight to the Robo-Dog look. :( Another sucky move.

[MrScorpio]

2. Robot Scum!

[norml]

3. Why did Sony kill off its Aibo robot dog?

Why did Sony kill off its Aibo robot dog?

Charles Arthur
Thursday February 2, 2006
The Guardian


Because Aibo isn't a band or a film, and it can't play or record music or films. Essentially, Sir Howard Stringer, the new boss at the Japanese multinational, is trying to focus the company on areas that will generate cash and, more importantly, profits, and the robotics unit that created Aibo, launched in 1999, was put to sleep in the process.

Also killed off as Sony announced shining results was Qrio, a humanoid robot that can walk on two legs but had never been sold commercially; and, separately, the cathode-ray tube and plasma TV operations, which aren't thriving either.

Though the Aibo was very popular - 150,000 were sold - it never went on sale in the UK, and the robotics division only produced about $40m to $80m revenue.


snip


http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1699508,00.html

[jeff30997]

4. Sir Howard Stringer,hey ?

Damn Gaijins !