
Aibo – A new story begins - cromulent
https://aibo.sony.jp/en/
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jimmies
>Every new face is another friend to be made

>learns the environment

>aibo [...] constantly updating its data in the cloud

>apps

Hey sorry to be a cynical brat, but does this imply that it's just another
Internet-of-Sting like the Roomba-style robot from Xiaomi (a backdoor mapping
agent)? As it costs like 1000 USD, it better not pull that kind of bullshit.

But how do I know? Trust is a huge factor here, and what Sony shows here
doesn't impress me a bit. The page does not say anything about data and
privacy protection. If Sony does not directly do it, how does Sony vet the
third party apps to make sure third party apps don't pull that kind of
bullshit?

The last thing I want to hear is to get a blackmail from a $1000 robotic dog,
you know. "Last Tuesday, you listened to a pirated CD from Sony. Your dog has
accidentally used that CD for a toy while you're busy making love with the
housemaid."

~~~
blacksmith_tb
I can't find anything that claims Xiaomi vacuums are spying on us (would maps
of rugs be useful to collect?) Do you have a reference?

~~~
falcolas
I remember reading that the latest Roomba vacuums were uploading their
movement patterns to the cloud to "optimize the cleaning experience". I don't
personally have a reference.

A set of highly detailed house maps, with strong indicators of the traffic
patterns (via dirt detection) and pet ownership (abnormally high volumes of
shortish hair; tends to clog filters faster), would be exceptionally useful as
input to your advertising profile.

~~~
theDoug
You likely read that, but the story was that some exec cited it as an idea. It
was reported as factual and actual, and that's how it will be remembered.

My telling you won't matter, as eventually one or both of us will forget, and
the lie lives on.

~~~
jimmies
It is not an idea from an exec, and that is not a lie.

>[https://youtu.be/uhyM-bhzFsI?t=607](https://youtu.be/uhyM-bhzFsI?t=607)

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mynameisvlad
Damn, even years later it's still prohibitively expensive. 198k yen (~2k USD)
and 90k yen (~900 USD) lifetime or 2980 yen (~30 USD) per month for the "basic
plan" which is required for the AI services.

~~~
magissima
What in the world is the market for this?

~~~
pg_bot
Robotic pets are often used in therapy for people with dementia.

[http://www.parorobots.com/](http://www.parorobots.com/)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvGAL9tesM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvGAL9tesM)

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biztos
I like how it scratches itself, implying that Sony has leapfrogged the
competition in miniaturization and invented the Robot Flea.

~~~
bgun
Dogs scratching themselves is common and not necessarily an indicator of
having fleas.

~~~
scrumption
Humor is commonly used by Humons to attempt to connect with one another and
distract themselves from the inherent absurdity of their lives; you need not
necessarily interpret their communication entirely literally when you have a
suspicion that they may be employing Humor.

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saudioger
I wonder if the aging population of Japan had anything to do with the
comeback.

The NYT did a really nice video feature on the Aibo fan following a while
back, the elderly couple featured must be pretty excited
[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/technology/robotica-
sony-...](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/technology/robotica-sony-aibo-
robotic-dog-mortality.html?src=twr&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0)

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_bxg1
I'm amazed it's taken this long for things like this to make a comeback, now
that neural-net tech has progressed so far. Being able to develop a complex
relationship with an ML system rather than just a handful of floating
parameters sounds pretty interesting (yes, I know that's technically what
neural nets are underneath, but the point holds).

~~~
agumonkey
In 2007 a funny teacher bought a pair and made us write meta DSLs for Aibo.
According to the industry it was advanced but in terms of robotics it was so
damn primitive.. and for today ML (and note U-ML, we used their MOF) is
probably incomensurably better.

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javiramos
The videos in the website have such a dystopian feel.

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ramgorur
To folks who are complaining the trade-off between it's price and what it does
offer: this dog is more about a robotic toy with animatronics similar to that
of spot-mini than a cloud powered AI (i.e. siri/cortana/google). You are
buying an AI powered hollywood level animatronic toy for 2 grands, I wouldn't
say this is too expensive.

~~~
gene-h
I wouldn't say that it's on par with with a spot mini. Walking and movement
seems pretty slow and rough. It's really too bad that advancements in actuator
technology haven't made it into consumer robots.

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en4bz
I hope AIBO RoboCup soccer returns as a result.

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galfarragem
Probably I'm not their market target, but what for do I want a Aibo? I prefer
a real dog.

What most people crave is a robotic servant.

~~~
asciimo
Robots can emulate enough personality to offer low-maintenance companionship.
Even Alexa and Google Assistant become part of the family, to some degree.
Maybe Aibo provides a fraction of what you're looking for in an animal
companion, but it's enough for some people.

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ChrisArchitect
not new, wasn't this from november 2017?

~~~
ChrisArchitect
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15598783](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15598783)

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earenndil
Is it just me or does this look mildly terrifying? IMO, this is solidly in
uncanny valley territory.

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DrNuke
It does not smell or sh*t which will make million households happy.

~~~
asciimo
And it can't suffer.

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tzahola
Its movements are really slow and choppy. I bet it can’t even run...

The uncanny valley is not even in sight. I guess I’m going back to this week’s
Westworld...

