HOW-TO: Get the most out of your Sony AIBO

Hello there readers! I'm back once again with another HOW-TO article on your gadget needs. This time we'll be covering the Sony AIBO. For those of you who don't know what the AIBO is, it's basically an artificially intelligent robot dog from Sony. What a lot of people don't know, is how far you can push your AIBO to the limit. From their built in cameras to WiFi capabilities, the AIBO is the perfect tool for someone trying to get the most out of technology.

So you�ve got an AIBO, but the question is, what have you done with it? Probably just messed around with some software like AIBO Mind or AIBO Pal, etc. Well, let me hit you up with some really nice things you can do with the AIBO and third party devices.

Fun with AIBO #1: Use a ZipIt handheld device to view through the eyes of your AIBO at all times.

Yes. You can use that dinky little $100 WiFi instant message handheld called the ZipIt to view your AIBO�s cam wirelesly. You�ll need to get linux running on it first (which has since become easier) to be able to use the camera. Of course it�s only greyscale and it�s small, but it�s being able to view through your AIBO�s eyes at all times wirelessly! You can check out more information on doing this here.



Fun with AIBO #2: Use your AIBO�s speech recognition to automate tasks.
Using a program called �Homiegate� (Homie the Clown from In Living Color anyone?), you can speak to your AIBO and make him perform commands for you through the AIBO�s WiFi card. You can say to him for example �AIBO, DVD - Debbie Does Dallas 2000� and the DVD of that movie will play. Or you can have it rigged up to your mp3 player hooked up to your stereo and use the AIBO to change tracks, playlists, or anything else through voice commands. It�s still early in development but it�s really coming along and should be checked out by all means by visiting here.

Fun with AIBO #3: Run an open source AIBO personality and get bang for the buck.
Getting software for the AIBO can be a pain sometimes and also very expensive. Sometimes AIBO Mind 2 and Life 2 go for way over $100 on eBay and this is a shame. Not everyone has a personality on their AIBO, especially if you have the ERS-311/312. Therefore, DogsLife has come to the rescue. DogsLife is an open source personality for the AIBO for all models except the first (ERS-110/111) and the latest model (ERS-7/M2). Having just gotten my AIBO, he came with DogsLife on it and I�m very impressed at how well it works. All the commands are there, all the features, and he works perfectly. You can even play Tic Tac Toe with your AIBO now thanks to DogsLife.

Those some really great ones in addition to many other hacks and mods for the AIBO. Sony is also trying to work on the next AIBO with �curiosity.� Ooooh.

Oh and you can always make your AIBO dance to Daft Punk.

[iDean @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

whats the reason for anyone to actually buy this thing?! Gotta be pretty lonely...

[Malfoy Roark @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Are you saying only lonely people buy pets? It's a pet and a whole lot more!

[Large Juan @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

My favorite thing about the AIBO is that it craps bolts.

[marika @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

I know I buy stuff off aibotoys.com

I have 4 aibos and I am not sad nor lonely. It's still fun to play othello with my aibo.

[Arthur @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

>

does that make sense?

[Ribminster @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

"the AIBO is the perfect tool for someone trying to get the most out of [the AIBO]". No shit.

[iDean @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

lmao @ #6

[Rich...! @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Any decent tips for controlling it with a mac?

[Aaron G. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

I had no idea a $2000 piece of technology could be turned to such fantastic ends:

Now, I don't have a mansion or an aibo, but I am literally slavering over the possibilities:

-Telling your dog to play your classical music playlist in the living room
-Telling your dog to go take a picture of what's going on on the porch and sending you a picture.
-This is the best one, I just conceived of an entire scenario, whereby a friend rings the doorbell to my vast estate, the door unlocks and my voice says "Come in." However, when my friend opens the door he is greeted by the aibo who, transporting my voice over wifi, says "I'm in the back, just follow the dog."

Now, I don't have to you all that this represents a huge shift in thinking, where an intelligent pet executes commands by voice and they are done, like a magical genie. I cannot wait to be an eccentric rich person, so that I can indulge these sordid fantasies. I only hope to implement them before my children can afford this functionality at the local radio shack, and regard my strange fascination with rolled eyes and understanding nods as they realize their father is in the initial stages of geriatric decline.

[Huh? @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

can we teach them to have sex?

[Callum @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

I love these little fellas, and I'd like to adopt one. If you've got an old AIBO sitting under your desk - send him my way, I'll set up weekly posts on the state of his / her health, a moblog of sorts - I'll love and care for it, take it long walks in the countryside and I'm sure my workmates wouldn't have a problem with the little digital fella accompanying me to the office.

Go on - I bet pt has 20 of these, running as a Linux server or powering a small village... hmm

[Joe B. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Aibos are great little 'bots. They entertain and amaze. Some people REALLY get into the little fellas... (See the linked image -- not my collection.) There's no mistaking an Aibo for a "bio" pet -- even the most enthusiastic Aibo owner knows the difference. But these critters are autonomous, folks, which puts them into a whole new category -- they aren't just inanimate toys to their owners.

http://www.pbase.com/image/41158564.jpg

[Adam- @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

When you have more aibo's, you can download open-source codes to let them play soccer, and when you optimize those codes, you can enter international competitions...

[met @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Do they go and charge themselves up (when their batteries go weak) ?

Are they 'moody' ? (Like the stuff in Nintendogs or that desktop goldfish app) :)

[Emily @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

lmao at #10.

[lupinstel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Actually yes the newer Aibos do recharge themselves when their batteries get low.

[jc @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

I would like one that is programmed to look like it is enjoying a drive in the car... expecially if it can stick it's head out of the car window and let it's tongue flap in the wind.

[Anonymous Coward @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

http://www.theonion.com/2056-06-22/opinion/1/

[Peter @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

The problems with Aibo is he moves real slow and noisy. Also he seems deaf to my English accent. Aibo sounds much more capable than it is. You feel a complete fool shouting at the thing. It not real AI all the tricks are programmed on the chip, he doesn't really learn anything new.

[DotWind @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

What happend to real pets?

I think to thinker with bots a better platform is the RCX from lego it makes for a pretty good development and geeking around platform.

[FauxReal @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

If I had money to burn I'd buy an AIBO just because it's a hackable bit of novelty technology. I'm sure kids would get a kick out of it.

[Mr Butters @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

MMM BUTTERS!

AIBOs rule - but they cost way too much.....

mmmbutters

[AiboPet @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Aaron G. wrote:
> ... but I am literally slavering over the possibilities:
> -Telling your dog to play your classical music playlist in the living room
That's built in (a HomieGate feature). If you press the dog's head, it will pause the music for a short time so you can speak the next voice command.

> -Telling your dog to go take a picture of what's going on on the porch and sending you a picture....
The technology supports that and other remote control scenarios (like talking to someone over WiFi). IMHO it makes for great demos, but not real-life scenarios. AIBO makes a better entertainer when you are in the room watching and playing with the robo-dog. Not a great guard dog to leave on his own.

---
Other selective replies:
> original quote "the perfect tool for someone trying to get the most out of technology."
In this case "technology" applies to much more than AIBO (ie. anything that talks WiFi)

> can we teach them to have sex?
AIBO Kama Sutra -> http://shibuya.cool.ne.jp/aibo48

> Are they 'moody' ? (
Yes. Most of the software is driven by 6 Emotions (joy, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and discontent) and 5 instincts (curiosity, love, hunger, movement and sleep).
The moods change depending on how you interact with the dog. You can monitor the moods changes through WiFi.
They can be programmed with alternative personalities or with a larger brain running on a WiFi attached computer (like HomieGate/BrainBo)

There are several older models that are cheaper (~$500). The current model ERS-7 (~$2k) is much quieter than the earlier models.

Lots of cool technology and much untapped potential.

[gadgetgirl @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

I sometimes use my 7 in what I like to call "nanny mode". I can be working in my office upstairs and keep an eye on what the children are doing downstairs using the wifi capabilities of Aibo. Because I can see what AIBO sees, hear what AIBO hears I can hold a conversation with the children and they think they are talking to the AIBO.
When it's bedtime AIBO can read a story to them from theMP3 files of ALice in Wonderland saved on my computer's hard-drive.
Daughter number one really enjoyed singing a duet with AIBO and it was sweet music to my ears.
AIBOs and kids - good mix.

[jcbaillie @ Dec 19th 2005 2:43AM]

Hi there,

There is a new simple and powerful way of programming your aibo called URBI. You can freely download it here: http://www.urbiforge.com.

The cool thing is that the Aibo Daft Punk dance contest winnner used URBI to program his robot and you can retrive the URBI code that does the dance on urbiforge (it's called "dance.u").

Enjoy!
JCB