I haven’t heard much about AIBO in the ten years since this article was published.
For most of the 20th Century, we’ve been hearing about the arrival of a robot dog—a docile and obedient machine which never has an accident on the rug, never barks at the postman, and never mounts the legs of stranger in inappropriate ways.
Finally, this year, in a blaze of publicity, Sony announced it had created the legendary machine—a fully autonomous “entertainment robot” named AIBO.
Equipped with a 180,000 pixel camera (hidden in its nose) and an infrared distance sensor to detect objects, AIBO is programmed to climb stairs and sing songs. Best of all, it never blows you away with dog breath.
Sony says it developed AIBO with “the aim of bringing human and robots closer together.” But, thus far, the bark hasn’t lived up to the byte. Most people still prefer the company of their imperfect, non-mechanical dogs and cats.
Nevertheless, AIBO does represent a significant leap forward in the development of autonomous robots as a commercial venture.
And judging from brisk sales (a limited-edition run of 5000 robot dogs was snapped up almost instantaneously by collectors last summer at $2500 a pop), AIBO is here to stay. Robot enthusiasts expect more breeds to follow.
Although the role of man’s best friend seems secure for the time being, historically speaking, the emergence of AIBO and other robots could change their vaunted status.
Just as a horse was associated with strength (aka, horsepower) until automobiles came along, it’s plausible that the loyalty of a dog could be replaced by the affection of a robot.
AIBO is designed to ingratiate itself to its human masters by replicating the precise traits of a dog (like wagging its tail) while creating new ways of communication (musical tones, colored lights in its eyes). Furthermore, owners can rest assured that AIBO will not bite the hand that feeds it (at least not intentionally).
Like R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars, AIBO is designed to be a benevolent machine. Models are equipped with a touch sensor that allow owners to administer affection as well as discipline if warranted.
“Pet AIBO gently to tell it that you are happy,” instructs a Sony press release, “(or give it) a little smack on the head and AIBO will understand that you are scolding it.”
AIBO’s sophisticated programming allows it to “think and feel for itself,” its creators claim, with “instincts” and “emotions” like a real dog.
The question is: when, if ever, will advanced machine intelligence begin to replace the “pure bred” dogs and cats we know and love? Nolan Bushnell (the “father” of Atari and Chuckie Cheese) was once asked this question back in the early 1980s when he was marketing one of the first commercially marketed home robots called Brains on Board (or BOB).
Asked about what effect BOB would have on dogs, Bushnell joked, “They’ll become curiosities, like old cars.”
But as fate would have it, it was BOB (left) who became a curiosity. As Bushnell found out, there is no guarantee that people will automatically open their doors to a robot, no matter how human (or dog-like) they appear to be.
Will AIBO suffer the same fate as BOB? Will it become just the latest in a long line of novelty robots? History is already littered with dead-tech prototypes with names like Cosmo, Klatuu, Dottie, and Hero.
AIBO may fare better than its robotic ancestors if early indications are anymeasure. Perhaps it will even give birth to mechanical offspring in the future.
Real dogs? Their loyalty is not in question. But ours is. In the end, if we betray man’s best friend, we might be staring at the nuts and bolts of our own obsolescence.
