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Presence Examples From ZDNet.com Aibo bares its teeth with new design By Reuters November 7, 2001 NEW YORK--Only time will tell if he's truly bad to the bone. But the newest incarnation of Aibo, unveiled on Wednesday by Japan-based consumer electronics giant Sony, is designed with more virtual male hormone running through its circuitry than the playful robotic pups that sold out when they first went on the market in 1999. "We like to call him 'Mr. 220' with attitude," said Stuart Wallock, director of marketing and business planning for Entertainment Robot America, a unit of Sony Electronics. "He's maybe a little more macho" than the previous Aibo robots, including the roly-poly Latte and Macaron robots launched in early September. Aibo ERS-220, as the robot is formally known, is a sleek silver creature whose body looks like a cross between a greyhound and a sports car. Designed to appeal to teenage boys and gadget-loving men ages 25 to 45, the newest Aibo will be in stores in North America and Japan "around Thanksgiving time" at a price of $1,500. Spokesman Jon Piazza described the new robot as "the high- testosterone Aibo" during a demonstration, in which Mr. 220's retractable headlight popped up whenever he saw or heard something he liked. "I call him 'the Terminator,'" Piazza said, referring to the futuristic robot portrayed by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 film of that name and its 1991 sequel. But in a season when the world's biggest toy makers have pulled some products or marketing campaigns because of concerns about violence after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, how difficult will it be for Sony to sell a more macho robot? Marketing executive Wallock sees no problem. "He's definitely not a fierce Aibo or a hostile Aibo,'' Wallock said. "He might be a little aggressive. But he's still friendly and lovable." It's just that this robot is intended to appeal to people, especially to boys and men, who crave the latest technology. The sensors, for example, on his back are arranged on a panel that looks like a high-tech remote control. "He can go into boost mode when he gets excited and make a revving sound, just like a sports car," Piazza said, describing the robot's ability when it's loaded with the new Aibo Explorer software. In the future, Sony will design different heads, tails and even wheels so the core of the Aibo ERS-220 robot can be used to build other robots that look like different creatures or even vehicles. New software, sold separately, will give the AIBO 200 series the ability to recognize more voice commands than predecessors (75 instead of 50) and take JPEG format pictures when it's in "surveillance mode." He'll have expanded wireless LAN capability through a PC connection, so an owner can control or maneuver him from distances of up to 300 feet. Like other Aibo robots, he has a digital camera inside his head. With the new AIBO Life 2 software ($90), an owner could choreograph an AIBO 220 robot to move to any tune--even "Bad to the Bone," the 1980s hit by George Thorogood.
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