Remember Aibo? It was Sony's robot dog, and for years in the early 2000s, it captured everyone's imagination as one of the most advanced robot pets on the market.
The Aibo was first released in 1999, but was unfortunately discontinued in 2006 as part of cost-cutting by the Japanese company.
But according to Nikkei, Aibo will make a triumphant return in the spring of next year, with the company bringing back the original team behind Aibo, which had been absorbed into other divisions when the Aibo division was discontinued.
The new Aibo will come with lots of new tricks.
First, it will function less like a “pet” and more like a smart home device, equipped with AI and internet connectivity, similar to smart speakers coming from the likes of Amazon and Google.
Sony also plans to base the new Aibo on an open operating system, which will allow third-party developers to add features to the little dog.
The AI development that is coming now could mean a new beginning for Aibo – as well as Sony, which had abandoned its involvement with robots for 12 years.
In recent years, however, Sony has tried to reverse this trend. Last year, it invested in AI software developer Cogitai.
The company has also admitted that its efforts "have lagged behind" other tech giants that have invested in AI, but added that there were still "unexplored areas.".
“We have a lot of products in the physical world,” a Sony spokesperson told ZDNet. “We make hardware, that’s our strength.”
The Aibo sold for a whopping $2,500 when it was first released, making it much less affordable for the average household. There's no word yet on how much the new version will cost.
