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Sony's AI-Enhanced Aibo Robot Dog Coming to the US

The Aibo First Litter Edition is Sony's most advanced robot dog yet, integrating subscription-based cloud processing to enable its artificial intelligence features. But it's pricey.

 & Will Greenwald Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

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Sony's Aibo robot dog is back, and coming to the United States in September.

The Aibo First Litter Edition was first revealed in Japan last November, and Sony has since sold over 20,000.

The new Aibo is, of course, Sony's most advanced robot dog yet, integrating subscription-based cloud processing to enable its artificial intelligence features. There's a CMOS image sensor for facial recognition, along with a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) camera that enables Aibo to map out its surroundings like a high-end robot vacuum. Aibo also features four microphones for voice commands and extensive touch and motion sensors for interaction and orientation.

Sony Aibo First Litter Edition

All these sensors guide Aibo's 22 axes of movement through sets of actuators in its legs, body, neck, head, ears, and tail. The extensive variety of movement points lets Aibo perform realistic, puppy-like movements and physically interact with users like a pet dog. A set of OLED displays for Aibo's eyes gives it a very expressive face to go along with its wiggling ears and wagging tail.

Aibo can be tracked, interacted with, and controlled with the My Aibo app for Android and iOS. It lets owners see what Aibo sees, share pictures it takes, and teach it different tricks.

Sony Aibo First Litter Edition

Aibo's AI system functions through a cloud-based processing system, which both enables Aibo's various smart functions and uploads Aibo's experiences to Sony to further develop Aibo's AI engine. The cloud processing requires a subscription to Sony's AI Cloud Plan, three years of which are included in the First Litter Edition.

The Aibo First Litter Edition ships in September for $2,899, and includes the Aibo, a selection of toys for Aibo to play with, and an individually numbered dog tag.

For more interesting and cute robots, check out Anki's upcoming Vector robot.

About Our Expert

Will Greenwald

Will Greenwald

Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s home theater and AR/VR expert, and your go-to source of information and recommendations for game consoles and accessories, smart displays, smart glasses, smart speakers, soundbars, TVs, and VR headsets. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and THX-certified home theater technician, I've served as a CES Innovation Awards judge, and while Bandai hasn’t officially certified me, I’m also proficient at building Gundam plastic models up to MG-class. I also enjoy genre fiction writing, and my urban fantasy novel, Alex Norton, Paranormal Technical Support, is currently available on Amazon.

The Technology I Use

Where to start? I have a standard IT-issued Lenovo Thinkpad for writing and editing, supplemented with an iPad Air and an 8Bitdo Retro Keyboard when I want to write on the go. I also have a Lenovo Legion Go as a platform for running Portrait Displays’ Calman software and controlling the Klein K-10A colorimeter, Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Leo Bodnar 4K Video Signal Lag Tester I use for testing TVs. 

For gaming, I use a Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, and a GeForce 5080-equipped MSI gaming laptop. I like collecting retro games as well, and have an Analogue Pocket and a ton of classic consoles and portables. Photography is another interest, and I use a Sony A7 IV when I’m shooting products and events, and a Fujifilm X-Pro3 for my own attempts at visual creativity. And for reading and writing, I’ve become partial to the Kobo Sage for books and the ReMarkable 2 with Type Folio.

When it comes to phones and tablets, I’m pretty platform-agnostic. I use a Google Pixel 8 for my phone and an iPad Air for a tablet. Android, iOS, and iPadOS are all totally fine, but I need a Windows PC. MacOS just isn’t for me.

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