The Pleo Dino-Bot....
One of my projects this week has been to track and analyze coverage of one of my company's clients at the Demo conference taking place this week in Phoenix. Those of you who know me well know that, at heart, I am a gadget geek. I love anything small, portable and electronic.
My clients, back in my PR days, were technology clients and I used to attend tradeshows and conferences like CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Comdex (back when it was still around), and various and sundry other smaller shows.
Unfortunately, due to my rather small income these days, I'm not able to actually buy many (if any at all) of these gadgets. But that hasn't stopped me from looking! So of course, when I ran across this article about a new "creature" from the inventor of the Furby in my searches yesterday, I had to share.
Apparently, this little guy runs on the company's "Life Form Operating System" and receives sensory information from 38 different spots on its little body. From the press release (italics are mine):
Pleo is modeled after a 1-week-old Camarasaurus sauropod, or long neck dinosaur, and incorporates basic traits of autonomous life. Pleo has been specifically engineered to mimic life with organic movement and behaviors that allow him to relate to humanity on a personal level. UGOBE's unique and patented robotic motion platform enables Pleo to move in a fluid, lifelike way, while behaving completely autonomously. Pleo can convey emotions, is aware of himself and his surroundings, and evolves in behavior over time.
It's not exactly clear how Pleo is going to relate on a human level, but my first thought upon seeing this little critter was that it sounded suspicously like a dog. Except that it doesn't - near as I can tell - poop. He does, however, eat. To wit:
Pleo is an authentic Life Form. Treat him gently like any other living thing. Your Pleo will let you know how he feels at any moment... He can also yawn, sigh, sniff, sniffle, snore, cough, hiccup, and sneeze. Pleo wants to explore his environment. He will be cautious when he walks to the edge of a table. He may cry when he is frightened. Pleo will stretch when he first wakes up. He may stomp his foot for food when hungry. When Pleo grows tired, lay him down and attach his 'dream cord' so he can sleep, dream, and gather energy for more exploration.
Cry when frightened? Stomp his foot for food? Attach a 'dream cord'? Good lord.
If he weren't so darned cute I would think this whole thing ridiculous:
Actually, it is a bit ridiculous. I mean, I get the part about creating artificial intelligence. It's novel, sure. But aside from the lack of pooping, I can't figure out why this sort of toy might be preferable to, say, a hamster or gerbil.
Still, the sad part about all this is that I sort of want one. I mean, really... I have a dog - a real living, breathing creature who adores me - and my inner child gadget-geek still makes me drool over something that only simulates life. Go figure.
Want one? It'll set you back $199 plus tax. Methinks it a good thing Pleo won't be available until the second half of this year...
