Sony Launches Limited Edition Aibo Robot Dog in U.S.
February 1, 2022
Sony Electronics has announced that the limited-quantity aibo Black Sesame Edition Litter (model ERS1000/H) is now available for pre-order in the U.S. directly from Sony. Released in Japan in late January 2021, the aibo Black Sesame Edition is the second color variation of its aibo (model ERS1000) robotic “puppy” companion in the U.S., with availability scheduled for Feb. 14.
The new robot is available for a retail price of $2,899.99, while supplies last, Sony said. The company also announced the release of the aibo Food Bowl (aiboFB) and the aibo Water Bowl (aiboWB), for $19.99 each. With the My aibo app, owners can feed their pet virtual meals or treats and watch the robot dog eat out of the bowl. An AR augmented reality button offers an AR experience for aibo “parents” to see their dog eat its food virtually.
Featuring a dark gray color body with white accents, the Black Sesame Edition comes with four exclusive eye colors not available with the standard white model, Sony said. As with the earlier version, the new robot comes with a three-year AI Cloud Plan, charging station (stand and mat), AC adapter, power cord and a special pink ball for playtime. The cloud plan lets aibo safely gather and access its daily life experiences, “enabling it to develop a unique personality that grows and evolves,” said Sony. “With careful attention to user privacy, aibo recognizes up to 100 faces and develops a familiarity with people over time, remembering which actions make owners happy.” The cloud plan also ensures that the robot dog is kept current by providing new tricks, software-based features and entirely new behaviors.
Because of aibo’s facial recognition features, the robotic dog is not available for sale or use in the State of Illinois, or in Baltimore, Maryland, due to regulations that ban the use of facial recognition.
For more details about the new version, visit the Sony aibo website here.
