Sony’s robotic dog Aibo is getting a much-needed upgrade.
The Sony Aibo was first released in 1999 and features its own artificial intelligence, allowing the robotic puppy-like device to interact with the user in unique ways. The last Aibo model was released way back in 2003 and Sony announced it cancelled the product entirely in 2006.
According to a report from Nikkei Asian Review, the Japanese technology company is getting together the original team that created Aibo back together again to develop a new version of the dog with smart assistants in mind.
Aibo is reportedly one of Sony’s first offerings designed to compete against the AI-powered voice-deactivated products of Google and Amazon.
Aibo is similar to the Amazon Echo, though it patrols the house like a dog, while also responding to voice commands and controlling smart home appliances.
Though it’s unknown if the dog will feature the Sony Assistant found in the Xperia Ear, or if it features an AI that will operate in the background and is powered by Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa.
Sony also has a HomePod competitor called LF-S50G that utilizes the Google Assistant in the works.
Image Credit: Sony
Source: Nikkei Asian Review Via Tech Crunch
