Pleo: It Eats Shoots and Leaves
There has been a lot of anticipation building around Pleo ever since it grabbed the attention of the media at DEMO 2006. Pleo is a robotic-dinosaur toy designed by Caleb Chung, one of the co-creators of Furby. Pleo is modeled after a baby Camarasaurus, wrapped in polymer skin containing over 30 sensors, 14 motors and six processors.
According to Chung, “Pleo isn’t a toy. It’s aimed at the pet demographic. We’re trying to capture that ‘Awww!’ moment.”
In order to capture that moment, Chung and his team have programmed Pleo to evolve with its experiences. For example, the first time it is picked up, it may act scared, but with subsequent interaction it will grow more comfortable. Ugobe, the company behind Pleo, will encourage modifications by providing a graphical interface and API for programers.
Pleo features include:
- 14 servo joints (torso, head, tail, neck, legs) with force feedback
- 38-touch, sound, light and tilt sensors including nine touch sensors (mouth, chest, head, shoulders, back, feet) and 8 feet and toe sensors
- Fluid quadruped motion
- Ability to avoid obstacles and not walk off edges
- Sound output, stereo sound sensors and music beat detection
- Autonomous interaction with owner and environment including coughing, blinking eyes, chomping, twitching, sighing, sneezing, sniffing, growling stomach, tail drift, and yawning
- Distinct moods including anger, boredom, playfulness, hunting, cautious, cuddling, disgust, disorientation, distress, fear, curiosity, joy, sorrow, surprise, fatigue, hunger, and desire for social interaction
- Upgradeable, Life Form OS and Personality System
- SD card memory expansion
- Ability to communicate with other UGOBE Life Forms
- Rechargeable battery
In my opinion, the rechargeable battery is actually one of the most important features. I’ll admit, I bought a Roboraptor, but what kills me about it is the obscene number of batteries it requires and how quickly it chews through them. My Roomba, on the other hand, not only has a rechargeable battery, but it “smart” enough to find it’s docking station and recharge when it’s power is low.
Ugobe has raised $11 million to develop Pleo and has recently secured an additional $10 million to begin developing another half-dozen designs. If Pleo does well this Christmas, which is a 50/50 shot with its $300 price tag, then expect more Ugobe lifeforms to follow in Pleo’s footsteps - even if it does walk a little bit funny.
Read more: [CNN]