Sony To Sell It's Robot Dog in The US

Sony is going to release its robot dog Aibo in the US,

following the brand’s relaunch in Japan last year. The

new edition will be available to purchase in September

for $2,899 and will be bundled with three years of Sony’s

AI Cloud service as well as a variety of toys, including a

pink ball, an “Aibone,” paw pads, and a charging station.

The AI Cloud allows Aibo to send its daily activity back

to Sony’s servers, which the company claims help shape

the robot’s personality and let owners stay connected with

their Aibo over Wi-Fi or LTE through AT&T. The dog likely

won’t ship until closer to the holidays, however, so prepare

for a long wait.

The US version doesn’t sound or look much different from

the one Sony showed off at CESthis year. It incorporates

a bunch of sensors, cameras, and actuators to activate the

pup and keep it interactive. There’s a camera on its back to

help it navigate to its charging pad, and its nose camera

helps it find its Aibone and identify family members through

facial recognition. It also responds to voice commands, and

you can add tricks to its knowledge base through the

companion Android / iOS Aibo app.

This is a limited edition product, although Sony hasn’t said

exactly how many units are being made. So if you’re dead

set on owning a robot dog, be ready for that preorder link

soon.