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Sony's Robo Dog Back from the Dead

by Tim Stevens on July 9, 2007 at 03:40 PM

Aibo's Evil TwinAibo, the robotic dog companion from Sony, was officially killed off early last year without much fanfare. With the company restructuring and demand for a $2,500 toy dog predictably slim, maintaining the product line was not a particularly high priority. However, for the right company, there's still quite a market for robo dogs, and iXs Research Corp. is hoping to capitalize by bringing the pooch's spiritual successor to life, selling it for the bargain price of twice the cost of the original.

BJ, the moniker given to the newer, darker clone, is a rather more serious machine than Sony's playful offering was -- as it should be given the cost. Where Sony only very reluctantly gave Aibo owners the ability to do some limited programming of their pets, BJ is fully hackable right out of the box. It contains a Linux-based system inside its body, which should make software updates easy via the (cheeky) tail-mounted USB thumb drive. IR, light, and motion sensors will help the pooch find its way around.

BJ's primary purpose in life is for research and competition in robot events like the RoboCup, but we're sure someone will have it fetching beers from the fridge in no time at all.

From Engadget

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Tags: Aibo, BJ, Robot

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