BJ – Sony's Aibo robotic dog lives on!
I was sad to see the back of Aibo, Sony’s attempt to replace dogs with a robotic variety. But at £1500 a throw, it was never going to catch on (although that’s still cheaper than a bulldog puppy). But as one robodog departs the market, another one enters – BJ from IXS Japan.
Developed in association with Kondo science, BJ is almost the same size as the Sony Aibo and has 3 joints for each leg (12 in all), 2 for neck, 1 for jaw and 16 for tail. It’s powered by an i.MX Core 11 CPU, 64MB RAM and 16MB Flash ROM, working alongside a 350,000 pixel CMOS sensor (30 fps), 1 x distance sensor, 1 x acceleration sensor and 4 x metal sphere sensors.
Using software provided, you can program your pooch to run, walk, bite people and drag its behind across the floor. Ok, I’ve made some of those up, but you get the idea. The downside is the price – at around £2500, it’s a bigger outlay than Aibo, but if you want a dog without the poop scooping, it might be worth a shot.
Via New Launches
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