Mechanical Pets

The increasing level of responsibility on pet owners has spawned a growing craze for mechanical animal companions. The very first electronic pet was introduced in the late 90’s and was called “Tamagotchi”. These pocket-sized pets also ate, slept, played, soiled themselves, and required attention from their masters, just like real animals.

At the turn of the century, more complex mechanical pets were released in the market. One such robo-pet, a robot dog named Aibo, was produced in early 2000 by Sony Corporation. Aibo, which roughly translates to the Japanese word for “partner” is built to resemble an actual dog. It is only 27 cm long and weighs less than 2 kilograms. 

Aibo is operated by remote control and can even mimic the actions – tail wagging, sitting, and even lifting of a hind leg as it prepares to urinate -- of a real dog. Internal sensors can identify gestures of praise (patting on the head) and punishment (sharp taps on the nose); and the dog responds to these stimuli (wags tail for praise; or its eyes turn red when being punished) accordingly.