In the 1990’s, Sony blazed a trail with Aibo, its canine-modeled artificial intelligence robot.
But the robo-dogs were discontinued in 2005 after increased competition in the Asian markets led to massive cost cutting.
Now, Sony is set to release a new robot dog which could allow users to control home appliances, in a similar way to Amazon’s Echo.
Aibo robots perform as Sony Corporation announces the launch of the dog-shaped autonomous robot that can express various emotions and act both in response to external stimuli and according to its own judgement, at the Sony Building in Tokyo on May 11, 1999
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Sony is preparing for a media event in November to showcase the product.
The new product does not yet have a name nor a price tag, but it is set to go on sale in 2018.
Aibo’s personality was shaped by its interactions with its owner and surroundings.
The initial ERS-110 Aibo model hardware included a 64-bit RISC processor, 16 megabytes of RAM, sensors (touch, camera, range-finder, microphone, acceleration, angular velocity), a speaker and actuators (legs, neck, mouth, tail).
Previous Aibo models ranged in price between $600 and $2000, according to Fortune.
However, if Sony’s recent release of its new Xperia Hello speaker, which retails for $1,300, is any indication, the new robo-dog may not be affordable for the average consumer.
Competitors of the new product include Toyota’s Kirobo Mini, a robot which its makers say has ’emotional value’, as well as a $400 price tag.
It comes equipped with a camera, microphone and Bluetooth, and connects to a smartphone, which needs to be installed with a special software application.
![Humanoid communication robot Kirobo moves during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan on June 26, 2013. It comes equipped with a camera, microphone and Bluetooth, and connects to a smartphone, which needs to be installed with a special software application](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/10/24/18/1A830DB8000005DC-5013157-image-a-1_1508864502929.jpg)
Humanoid communication robot Kirobo moves during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan on June 26, 2013. It comes equipped with a camera, microphone and Bluetooth, and connects to a smartphone, which needs to be installed with a special software application
Kirobo turns its head toward a voice, although sometimes that function fails as its voice recognition is far from perfect.
At just 10-centimeters (4-inch) tall, doll-like Kirobo Mini supposedly has the smarts of a 5-year-old.
Its name comes from ‘kibo’, or ‘hope’, and ‘robot’.
Meanwhile, Japanese corporation SoftBank Robotics is behind Pepper, the expressive humanoid robot designed to identify and react to human emotions.
Equipped with a camera and sensors, Pepper, which is 4ft tall and weighs 62lb, costs 198,000 yen ($1,600).
Pepper can react to human emotions by offering comfort, or laughing if told a joke and the robot has the ability to learn.