Sony 2nd Generation AIBO

Following on from the sale of the first ever autonomous entertainment robot AIBO ERS-110, Sony now introduce a 2nd Generation "AIBO" ERS-210 that has a greater ability to express emotion for more intimate communication with people. Available now, with no restriction on the number of units produced or the time period for orders: all customers ordering "AIBO" ERS-210 will be able to purchase a unit.

The new AIBO has additional movement in both ears and an increased number of LED (face x 4, tail x 2) and touch sensors (head, chin, back) which means that it can show an abundant array of emotions such as "joy" and "anger". In order to increase interaction with people, the ERS-210 series most distinctive feature, its autonomous robot technology (reacting to external stimulus and making its own judgements) that allows AIBO to learn and mature, has been enhanced. It will now include features frequently requested by AIBO owners such as a Name Recording Function (recognizes its own name). Voice Recognition (recognizes simple words) and Photo Taking.

The technologies that allow the ERS-210 to communicate, such as the autonomous feature which gives AIBO the ability to learn and mature plus the voice recognition technologies etc. will be available on a special flash memory AIBO Memory Stick software application (Autonomous AlBO-ware) called "AIBO Life" [ERF-210AW01] (*sold separately).

So that people can enjoy using AIBO in a variety of new ways an additional two application software (AlBO-ware), "Hello AIBO! Type A" [ERF-210AW02] demonstration software and "Party Mascot" [ERF-21 OAW03] game software (*both sold separately), are also being introduced. A new line-up of AIBO accessories such as a carrying case and software that enables owners to perform simple edits to AlBO's movements and tonal sounds on a home PC will also be offered to personalize the way owners can enjoy interacting with their AIBO.

Main Features of "AIBO" ERS-210

Three Different Color Variations

The [ERS-210] is available in three colour variations (silver, gold and black) so customers can choose the one that suits them best.

Autonomous Robot AIBO - actions based on own judgement

When used with Memory Stick application (AlBO-ware) "AIBO Life" (*sold separately) [ERF- 210AW01] AIBO acts as a fully autonomous robot and can make independent decisions about its own actions and behavior. AIBO grows up with abundant individuality by interacting with its environment and communicating with people by responding to its own instincts such as "the desire to play with people" and "the desire to look for the objects it loves".

Enhanced Features to Express Emotions

When used in conjunction with "AIBO Life" (*sold separately) AIBO [ERS-210] owners can enjoy the following features to their full capacity:

Touch Sensors on the head. chin and back
In addition to the sensor on the head, new touch sensors have been added to the back and under the chin for more intimate interaction with people.
20 Degrees of Freedom
A greater variety of expressions due to an increase in the degrees of freedom of movement from 18 on the [ERS-110] and [ERS-111] (mouth x 1, head x 3, tail x 2, leg x3 per leg) to 20 degrees of freedom with new movement added to the ears on the AIBO IERS-210].
LED on the Tail
In addition to LED (light-emitting diodes) on the face, LED have been added to the tail. A total of 4 LED on the face (expressing emotions such as "joy" "anger") plus 2 on the tail (expressing emotions like "anxiety" "agitation") allows AIBO to express a greater variety of emotions.

Enhanced Communication Ability with New Advanced Features

When used in conjunction with "AIBO Life" (*sold separately) AIBO [ERS-210] has the following features: Personalized Name (name recording & recognition): Owners can record their own personal name for "AIBO" and it will respond to this name by actions and emitting a special electronic sound. @ Word Recognition (voice recognition function): Depends on AlBO's level of development and maturity. The number of words and numbers AIBO can recognize will change as it grows up until it can recognize about 50 simple words. In response to the words it recognizes AIBO will perform a variety of actions and emit electronic sounds. Response to Intonation of Speech (synthetic AIBO language): When spoken to, "AIBO" can imitate the intonation (musical scale) of the words it hears by using its own "AIBO language" (tonal electronic language).

Photo Taking Function
If used in conjunction with "AIBO Life" and "AIBO Fun Pack" software applications (*both sold separately) AIBO will take a photograph of what it can see using a special colour camera when it hears someone say "Take a photo". Using "AIBO Fun Pack" software [ERF-PC01] photographs taken by AIBO can be seen on a home PC screen.

Wireless LAN Card
By purchasing a seperate IEEE802.11b Wireless LAN card [ERA-201D1], inserting it into a PC card slot and using "AIBO Master Studio" software (*sold seperately) the movements and sounds AIBO makes can be created on a home PC and sent wirelessly to control AIBO's movements.
Other Features
Open-R v1.1 architecture
Uses Sony's original real-time Operating System "Aperios".
The head and legs can be removed from the body and changed.