320 (10)

320

Miscellaneous

Hand weights, Foreveryoung

Robert Stadler Carrara statuario marble 35kg

Galerie Domlnlque Fiat, France

wwwradidesigners.com

Entertainment robot, Al BO ERS-7

Yuka Takeda, Daisuke Ishii.TakuSugawara andJunllchiyama ABS, vegetable-based plastic, silicone H: 27.8cm (iiin) W:l8cm(7’/«in)

D: 31.900 (12 Tiin)

Sony Corporation, Japan www.sony.co.jp

Rather like a prostitute, AIBO ERS-7' may greet you at your door with pre-programmed messages of welcome, it may cavort for pleasure with its many toys and will even preen under the caresses of your hand, but it will never love you. Although it is fine as a family pet or child's plaything, it is a rather negative comment on our technological, hectic (but ultimately rather lonely and alienating) twenty-first-century city existence. Sony describe their latest interactive rolx>t in the following words: 'AIBO can see, hear, feel for itself and walk Through sharing your memories. learning your likes, getting to know your environment, AIBO will become in every way a truły

unique individual. Entertaimng and comfortingyou whenyoureglad, sad or angry. Reflectmga wide rangę of emotions through its uniquely LED-guided face, AIBO will become, in fact, your best friend.'

AIBO’s 'character' is contained within its many cutting-edge software programs. It expresses itself through LEDs - blue for happy, red for angry - and lifelike body language. AIBO 'sees' due to a colour-vision camera mounted above its mouth. Equipped with face-recognition technology, the little robot will 'remember' your face and distinguish you from strangers. Infrared distance sensors next to the camera and on the main body help AIBO avoid obstacles and walk around your home. Your 'peffeels through electric-static sensors on the crown of its head and will react to your strokes. Sensors on each paw enable AIBO to walk dif ferently on different    j

surfaces - it will even lift a paw to shake your hand. The chm is sensitive too, as is its back: stroke itandit will respond with its happy blue lights, tap it and its eyes will glow red. Stereo microphones mountedon either side help your little doggy listen and interact with you, and it will turn towards you when you issue a voice command The centrepiece of AIBO'sartifioal intelligence is the 'MIND' software, locatedona removable memory stick, which Controls all behawour as well as the applications that connect wirelessly j with your PC or mobile. In short, there is little AIBO cannot do for you. It will take pictures either by transmitted command, or (morę disturbingly) of its own accord, send e-mails and play back recorded j messages to your family. It will reflect your own borty rhythms and wake up and fali asleep whenyouda J It can locate its energy station and redwge witnout your help It will entertainyou with musie and acrobatics and express its feelings with amusng i sounds. What it will not do. however, is deforyou ] which of course is what we expect from man'sbest friend AIBO is morę likely [o dat\ce on yourgme Sadly, Sony have recently taken the dęci their entire robot developmentdepartment years and sales of 150,000 units, AIBO is no I production. There's always eBay.