Jump to content

AIBO

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ryandrews (talk | contribs) at 11:31, 28 September 2012 (→External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the robotic pet. For the Japanese television series, see Aibō.
Aibo
InventorHajime Sorayama
Inception1999
ManufacturerSony Corporation
Last production year2006
File:AIBO.JPG
The AIBO ERS-7

AIBO (Artificial Intelligence roBOt, homonymous with "pal" or "partner" in Japanese: aibō (相棒)) was one of several types of robotic pets designed and manufactured by Sony. There have been several different models since their introduction on May 11, 1999 although AIBO was discontinued in 2006.

Overview

AIBO is able to walk, "see" its environment via camera and recognize spoken commands in Spanish and English. AIBO robotic pets are considered to be autonomous robots since they are able to learn and mature based on external stimuli from their owner, their environment and from other AIBOs. Artist Hajime Sorayama created the initial designs for the AIBO.

The original designs are part of the permanent collections of Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian Institution. The design won Sony and its designer Sorayama the highest design award that may be conferred by Japan. On January 26, 2006 Sony announced that it would discontinue AIBO and several other products as of March, 2006 in Sony's effort to make the company more profitable. It also stopped development of the QRIO robot. AIBO will still be supported until 2013 (ERS7 model) and AIBO technology will continue to be developed for use in other consumer products.[1]

File:AiboKids.jpg
AIBO playing with children

AIBOware (a trademark of Sony corporation) is the title given to the software the AIBO runs on its pink Memory Stick. The Life AIBOware allows the robot to be raised from pup to fully grown adult while going through various stages of development as its owner interacts with it. The Explorer AIBOware allows the owner to interact with a fully mature robot able to understand (though not necessarily willing to obey) 100 voice commands. Without the AIBOware, the AIBO will run in what is called "clinic mode" and can only perform basic actions.

Many AIBO owners enjoy teaching their pets new behaviors by reprogramming them in Sony's special 'R-CODE' language. However, in October 2001, Sony sent a cease-and-desist notice to the webmaster of Aibopet, demanding that he stop distributing code that was retrieved by bypassing the copy protection mechanisms of the robot. Eventually, in the face of many outraged AIBO owners, Sony released a programmer's kit for "non-commercial" use. The kit has now been expanded into three distinct tools: R-CODE, AIBO Remote Framework, and the OPEN-R SDK. These three tools are combined under the name AIBO Software Development Environment. All of these tools are free to download and can be used for commercial or non-commercial use (Except for the OPEN-R SDK, which is specifically for non-commercial use). Since the first release of OPEN-R, several AIBO programming tools have been developed by university labs, including URBI, Tekkotsu,[2] Pyro and AiBO+.[3] The Open-R and GCC based toolchain has been updated by the community to use GCC 4.1.2, Binutils 2.17 and Newlib 2.15. The packaged version of the old and updated AIBO toolchain is available for Ubuntu in a PPA.[4]

AIBO's complete vision system uses the SIFT algorithm, to recognise its charging station. The newest versions are equipped with a Wi-Fi connection, allowing them to send the pictures they take via email which led to the Roblog.

AIBO's sounds were programmed by Japanese DJ/avant-garde composer Nobukazu Takemura, fusing mechanic and organic concepts.[citation needed] The bodies of the "3x" series (Latte and Macaron, the round-headed AIBOs released in 2001) were designed by visual artist Katsura Moshino. The aibo was mass produced by Sony.

The Sony Corporation sends its Aibo team to the Open. Most RoboCup players are of the two-legged variety, but the Aibos are little robotic dogs. The Aibos whack the ball by getting down on their elbows. This tail-in-the-air position gives them enough stability to use both front paws. Play is slow and a bit goofy, but the Aibos are, after all, still amateurs. Aibos have many motors that allow them to walk, stand, sit, and lie down. Aibos are also programmed to bark, find and play with their toys, and take "naps" when their batteries need recharging. And like other dogs, they will try to get attention from their owners.

RoboCup

AIBO robots playing in the 9th RoboCup in Osaka (2005)

The AIBO has seen use as an inexpensive platform for artificial intelligence research, because it integrates a computer, vision system, and articulators in a package vastly cheaper than conventional research robots. The RoboCup autonomous soccer competition had a "RoboCup Four-Legged Robot Soccer League" in which numerous institutions from around the world would participate. Competitors would program a team of AIBO robots to play games of autonomous robot soccer against other competing teams. The Four-Legged League ran from 1999 to 2008, although in the final year, many big-name universities did not compete as they had moved to the new NAO platform. The University of New South Wales[5] was the most successful team in the League, making the final six times and winning three times.

International AIBO Convention

The International AIBO Convention takes place every year at Sony Robotics Tower in the Shinjuku prefecture. The first convention took place in 1999, on May 15. It was then set to May 2 to May 4. The 2009 convention, being in its tenth year, set attendance records. The convention usually features AIBO advertisements, free posters, free accessories, freeware/open-source downloads and "AIBO Shows".

Breed lineage

After model name: body color choices; release date; units sold.

First generation models

File:AIBO ERS111 210.jpg
AIBO models ERS-210 (left) and ERS-111 (right)
  • ERS-110: silver; began sales 1 June 1999 for delivery in August; limited production of 3,000 for Japan and 2,000 for the USA
  • ERS-111: silver and black; November 1999

Estimated sales for all first generation models: 65,000

Second generation models

  • ERS-210: black, silver, gold, red, blue, green, white (3 hues), champagne, etc.; 2001
  • ERS-311 "Latte": cream; 2001
  • ERS-312 "Macaron": black; 2001
  • ERS-210A: several colors; 2002
  • ERS-220: silver; 2002 (also available as a conversion kit for the ERS-210)
  • ERS-31L "Pug": brown; 2002
  • ERS-311B "Latte": cream; 2002
  • ERS-312B "Macaron": black; 2002
  • ERS-210A: cyber blue; 2003

Estimated sales for all second generation models: 60,000

Third Generation models

  • ERS-7: white; November 2003
  • ERS-7M2: white and black; November 2004
  • ERS-7M3: white, black, and champagne gold (called honey brown in Japan); October 2005

Estimated sales for all third generation models: 40,000 to 50,000

When AIBO was introduced, The New Yorker published a cartoon showing AIBO "urinating" nuts and bolts on a fire hydrant.

In an episode of Frasier, Frasier gives his dad an ERS-210 to keep him company while he's visiting Roz in Wisconsin. There's a scene with Eddie interacting with the AIBO, while Martin Crane complains to Sony about not being able to get it to work.

See also

References

  1. ^ [1] [2]
  2. ^ Tekkotsu
  3. ^ AiBO+ home page
  4. ^ Ubuntu PPA with Aibo toolchain
  5. ^ [3]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aibo.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AIBO&oldid=514986134"