Sony Robot Dog: Company To Release AIBO-Like Smart Home Pet

Sony Corp. is developing a robot dog to combine smart home capabilities with the "emotional bond" that humans typically reserve for their real-life pets. Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai described the pet project the company is planning as a robot similar to the now-discontinued AIBO robotic pet devices developed in the late 1990s, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Japanese electronic maker is planning to roll out the dog-shaped pet robot at some point in spring 2018. Although the cost and whether this new robot dog product will continue to use the Aibo name is still unclear, Sony says it will hold a media event in November to flesh out details about the new domesticated device. Last year at a Sony strategy briefing, Hirai told the Journal the company was developing "a robot capable of forming an emotional bond with customers."