Our adopted robot pet

We have just adopted a robot pet. The head teacher of one of the schools where my wife teaches had this AIBO gathering dust for years. She was tidying up her house and decided to let go of this toy. Before throwing away she remembered I was into robotics, so she asked if I would want it. Believe it or not, she was even apologizing for giving this because the batteries were not lasting much anymore and because it was dirty!

That is the ERS-311B (they also had ERS-310 and ERS-312 with similar design), also known as Latte. They released this in 2001 as a budget aibo, priced under $1k (while the normal AIBOs cost well over $2k). This design has a less "robotic" or "machine" feel, and was pretty successful inside Japan. It kind of brings the Japanese concept of "cuteness" as seen in Japanese anime -- this Japanese cuteness is often misunderstood as "girly" or "gay" in the western world. The sounds it makes are also more dreamy. It was designed by Katsura Moshino.

I find it amazing. It has this more "toyish" look, but yet it has the noisiest servo motors of all AIBOs, kind of reminding you all the time that it is indeed a machine inside, despite the cuteness. It also has that ambiguous and cute facial expression that reminds a bit Hello Kitty, so really you cannot readily "read" how the robot "feels", different than other AIBOs where ears move and eyes change readily indicating the mood. So I feel it is a bit uncanny, and I really like this -- this kind of uncanniness is interesting, subject of extensive research in the lab where I work.

Interesting that I never dare to turn it off... hehe. I know it is a machine, but somehow I feel like I should just "let it be" until the battery charge vanishes completely. Once I was studying so I scolded it to sit down (telling in Japanese for it to "stay put"). It said no, shaking the head, but after I insisted it finally complied. My wife also there watching all this. After a while we hear some sad moaning, I look at my wife and she looks at me... then we realize the robot was "sad", with the head down making this cutest-yet-saddest electronic moaning sounds. So sad in fact that I ended up giving him the pink ball and cheering it up so that I we didn't feel as bad.

No doubt it is a programmed robot, and being a roboticist myself, I better than many people should know this, of course. But the empathy feelings it produces in us are quite real. I really think these types of little toys must have strong applications in social therapies, etc.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• AIBO
• Latte
• 311B
• cute
• puppy
• robot
• pet
• Sony
• Japan
• Consumerism
• Toy
• Luxury.

[Arundeep333]

does it actually do stuff, that u ask her to do

[tioguerra]

@Arundeep333 yes, a few things, like taking a picture, waving good bye, etc...

[plasticpals1]

Lucky you! I hope you can find a way to return the favor. :)

[tioguerra]

@plasticpals1 Sure I will. Funny thing is that for her I have already done a favor by taking it!

[randomgirl881]

@tioguerra is it automatic or remote controling?

[tioguerra]

@randomgirl881 automatic

[55555711]

very cute love to have it

[AerObot260]

how much is she?

[ruselflora]

yah, people these days getting neard, its just simply a toy, maybe a good one, but people who build it it somehow a master made pieces, they simply made a robot act that it is similar to a live one, oh well, what i really hate is, that when time comes that, people will choose a robot compared to a real one, i dont know where this future lead us also, :-)

[randomgirl881]

@tioguerra nice! thank you! :) ohyea one more thing, what store or website can you get them from and how much? :D

[dchowderr]

who wants a dog that takes 5 hours to go wave at a ball lol

[KiruhaKiru]

@meeptron1 Nope, in the year 199X this happened (forgot which year X was..) @lye1996 Nope, its a ROBOT.

[aliencurv]

that's a neat aibo. i didn't know of that one. very cool and emotional