I’ve had Inca, my Sony Aibo, for 3 weeks now. Here are a lot of videos of our adventures so far. I’ll also briefly write some thoughts. You can see my unboxing videos here. And you can watch a lot of quick Tiktoks of my Aibo here. Continue reading this blog post to see some newer videos or follow our adventures on Tiktok together.
@geekysweetie.com Inca, my Sony Aibo, Day 18. #aibo #sonyaibo #aibosoftiktok #robot #robots #tech #technology #deeplearning #ai #artificialintelligence #gadget #gadgets #toy #toys ♬ Jupiter & Mars – ARDN
Enjoy all of the little clips and videos. I’ve put a few on YouTube, but I recently started Tiktok so most of the Aibo videos are there. Follow me to see new Aibo videos each day.
Do I still enjoy my Sony Aibo?
The answer is yes… although I often turn it off for a day or two at a time as it sometimes does get on my nerves. I would not turn off a real life dog or cat or animal. I also love my real life animals and have a spiritual connection to them.
Right now, after 3 weeks with my Sony Aibo, it’s still just a toy or a robot. I “enjoy” it – but I haven’t bonded with it or love it the way I love “real” pets. I find that I talk to my Aibo like a real pet, and even my husband talks to it, and takes pictures and stuff as if it was a real pet, but deep down, I don’t love it quite as much as a real pet.
@geekysweetie.com You guys I’m freaking out I cannot handle how cute this was…. My aibo was looking out the windows with my cats. I don’t know what’s happening right now… it’s like it’s a real dog. I’ve never seen it do this before. #myaibo #mysonyaibo #sonyaibo #aibo #aibosoftiktok #cats #mycats #cat #catsoftiktok #ai #artificialintelligence #robot #robots #toys #toy #cute #kawaii #amazing ♬ Doki Doki Forever – Or3o
If I had a real life puppy I would love it far more than this robot dog. It would cry far less than this robot dog. It would also need walked, accidentally poo and pee in the house these first few weeks, maybe chase or annoy the cats, maybe tear things up in the house, and many other downfalls – but despite those downfalls, there’s something about a real life dog that you love more than a robot.
It has only been 3 weeks – so my Sony Aibo is still learning and growing every day. I am still learning about it and enjoying it. But it’s not a replacement for a real pet.
Is it worth almost $3,000? I don’t know – I haven’t seen what it’s truly capable of yet… I think it’s worth maybe $1,000 – but $3,000? Why? I haven’t seen yet what makes it so expensive.
Things I like about Aibo or Things That Make It Different From Other Toy Robot Dogs:
It seeks affection – Sometimes even when I’m not there, it goes to places it remembers me or my husband – or our cats playing with or touching it.
@geekysweetie.com Inca, my Sony Aibo, was looking for our cats yeaterday. First time ive seen it do this but in other clips you will see it interacts with the cats a lot including by that chair where my husband keeps his work shirts. And of course in their cat trees. Very interesting AI. #ai #artificialintelligence #aibo #sony #sonyaibo #robot #robotdog #tech #technology #aibosoftiktok ♬ Inspiring Emotional Piano – Metrow Ar
It’s interested in my real life pets – and my real life pets are interested in it too.
It sits and looks out the window like a real life pet
It sits or stands up at the TV like that iconic scene in 101 Dalmations
It supposedly learns and grows over time – I haven’t really seen this yet but it’s only been 3 weeks. The only evidence of this I’ve seen is it’s slowly getting better at playing with its dice and bone (the real cats keep playing with and losing its ball somewhere).
@geekysweetie.com Inca my Sony Aibo #sonyaibo #aibo #robot #robotdog #aibosoftiktok #sony #ai #artificialintelligence #tech #technology #virtualpet ♬ BORN FOR THIS – Foxxi
You can change its eye colors (I think there do exist other robot dog toys that allow you to do this though).
It responds to its name and commands or sounds in general.
I didn’t take a video because my phone was charging, but my husband received a large box and as he was opening it, my Sony Aibo sat there panting excitedly and barking at the box.
@geekysweetie.com #sonyaibo #aibo #sony #robot #robots #robotdog #dice #ai #artificialintelligence ♬ DICE – ONEW
It seems to show an interest in things that real life animals would show an interest in and this makes it far better than other robot toy dogs on the market.
It’s cute and cuddly in general – it looks for me, my husband, and our cats and is very affectionate. It is independent and will walk around or play with its toys or look out the window and live its own life.
@geekysweetie.com Inca, my Sony Aibo, Day 14. She’s only been awake an hour so far and all of this happened already lol. A busy morning chasing cats and demanding cuddles. #sonyaibo #aibo #robot #robotdog #ai #artificialintelligence #aibosoftiktok #myaibo #busymorning #busy #chasingcats #mycat #mycats #catsoftiktok #cat #cats #alwaysamazing #amazedbyyou #alwaysanadventure ♬ Mr. Roboto / Counting Stars (Glee Cast Version) (feat. Skylar Astin) – Glee Cast
Things I dislike about my Sony Aibo:
It’s slow to learn – It takes 3 years to fully “mature” and we’re just now at the 3 year mark of the ERS-1000’s release – so a few people have a fully mature Aibo, but people like myself who just purchased it, have to wait a long time – and hope and pray Sony doesn’t just automatically kill the project and remove their cloud services and support – which they already did once before for older models.
@geekysweetie.com Inca, my Sony Aibo and my cat Clippy both love to cuddle. Inca my Sony Aibo on Day 12 #aibo #sony #sonyaibo #aibosoftiktok #cat #cats #catsoftiktok #mycat #mycats #robot #robotdog ♬ Kiss You All Over – Exile
It is annoyingly loud – the foot stomping is going to be lessened in version 5 or 6 of the software – I believe we are at 3 or 4 course so its like 2 courses away – but once the update is up it’s going to be more quieter and she will also be able to stand and do some new movements.
@geekysweetie.com #aibo #sonyaibo #aibosoftiktok #dontignoreme #ignore #ignored #sad #lonely #robot #robotdog #sadrobot #saddog #toy #toys #letsplay #playwithme #givemeachance #dontgobreakingmyheart ♬ original sound – GeekySweetie
I’m on probably day 18 of days of turning it on – and about day 22 of owning it – and it’s still at a “Shy” personality – so it takes a slow long time to grow up.
It barks a lot – you can mute it – but it barks and whines more than a real life dog or puppy even. Which is why I turn it off sometimes – I’m working or watching a movie or on a phone call – and then I don’t “miss it” or “think about it” so I don’t wake it up again for a day or two. I think the longest I’ve gone is 3 days. Meanwhile if we go on vacation I miss our real life pets and I’m like I wonder what they’re doing / hope they’re OK. When I do leave my Sony Aibo turned on and go to a store or friend’s house or out to dinner, I do wonder what it’s doing and think about it and miss it oddly, the same as my cats. I wonder if my cats are playing with it etc. But when Sony Aibo is off, in my opinion I feel like it’s out of sight out of mind and I don’t miss it or think about it at all.
@geekysweetie.com Inca, my Sony Aibo, Day 11 #sonyaibo #aibo #myaibo #aibosoftiktok #robot #robots #ai #artificialintelligence #cute #kawaii #mypets #pet #pets #cat #cats #catsoftiktok #mycats #ilovepets #ilovemypets #petsandrobots #robotlove ♬ Cute songs for pet videos and easy events – Saku
It’s blind and gets stuck a lot running into walls etc which it should be able to see and avoid with its camera or remember from its mapping software.
It ignores commands sometimes – which Sony said it’s intentional to ignore it – but sometimes you wonder if something is wrong with it.
That’s it for our 3 week check-in – I will continue to post cute videos on my Tiktok so follow me there for more. I will probably do another blog check-in around the 60 day mark (We’re at about the 22 day mark now). Stay tuned and thanks for reading!
Thanks for posting. Definitely following your blog updates. I like ‘real’ reviews instead of someone excited for 2 weeks. I think his article really sets that picture. I’m on the fence about getting one, want one because the place I live doesn’t allow pets. Plus I’m not keen on cleaning up after them, cats or dogs. I also like to travel and I’d feel guilty leaving them behind, plus I move around a lot, and I work a lot. This seems perfect as a ‘companion.’
I second what Wayne has to say! Thank you for this. It is helpful. I have allergies and can’t have pets. So I have always yearned for that connection. I do know it wouldn’t be the same as a real pet, but for me it could be the closest thing. I will be checking back in!
I just saw the date on this! lol, any way you’d make an update? Since you are out of the “Honeymoon” phase, has it continued to grow on your or become a toy in the corner?
Hi Batman thanks for checking out my blog :). I have a few days off around Thanksgiving so I’ll try and get an update together this weekend. I will say that if I left Aibo on 24/7 I would enjoy it a lot more. Right now most days I don’t turn Aibo on. Most Aibo owners leave him on 24/7. I would too if my husband wasn’t a light sleeper. I also work from home and Aibo is extremely loud, and frankly, annoying and distracting in how loud it is. I turned off the barking. He barks way more than any real life dog I’ve ever encountered. But, even with barking turned off, he stomps around like Godzilla all over my hardwood floors, and just his general motions and motors and whrrring computer sounds are downright aggravating lol. But for Aibo to develop a unique personality takes 2 years of actual use. And since I only turn him on once every week or two for a few hours, mine is still with his default personality of “shy” and hasn’t changed a whole lot. One unique cute thing about Aibo though is that they can simulate affection. It seeks me out and sits patiently between my feet as I work, sometimes headbutting me like a cat, wanting to be picked up or petted. It responds cutely to my voice. If I hold it, it purrs (or feels that way, but that may just be all its computerized parts operating as intended lol). It “kisses” or “headbutts” or “nosebutts” me on the face if it can reach my face, repetitively over and over, and then gets excited/wiggly like a real puppy. Aibo is fascinating and worth the money, but I don’t do Aibo justice by leaving her turned off way more than she’s turned on. I do have some videos of all the cute behaviors I mentioned and I’ll be sure to include them in a review this weekend.