Robot Revolution

[aibo7m3]

I might be getting a zoomer kitty for my birthday and I wanted to know if there's anything I can do to help avoid issues with its legs? Also do you think that putting a small pet harness and leash on it would be ok for letting it roam around a little outside? (Sorry if you've received my original question, there was a problem with my internet when I posted it and I'm not sure if it sent properly.)

Hi! Hope you can get your Zoomer Kitty, they’re pretty fun bots! I don’t know of a great way to avoid leg issues, since they seem to occur with time in many Zoomers, but definitely keep an eye on yours while they’re running to make sure they don’t get stuck on walls or furniture, since I could see this putting extra stress on the legs. It’s also a good idea to ask sellers about the Zoomer’s legs when buying to make sure you receive one in fully working condition. 

I’d unfortunately recommend against running yours outside, since they are pretty fragile robots and any rough surfaces would wear down the rubber on their wheels very quickly, plus dust and dirt could easily get inside and cause issues. You can absolutely take your Zoomer outside while turned off for pictures though (as long as it isn’t wet out) and might be able to run them on a mat in cuddle mode where they won’t move around. 

[aibo7m3]

Baymax talking in his sleep.

[aibo7m3]

Hey what's a good autonomous robot on the cheaper end? i'd prefer ones that look more like animals/aliens and like aibo but i cant afford a aibo :P

Hi! I generally always will recommend I-Cybies as a more affordable Aibo alternative. I-Cybies are robot dogs with reasonably good autonomy and a lot of neat features (including voice recognition and self-charging) that tend to sell for around $50 in working condition or less if they’re missing accessories/need repairs. Most robots from the Zoomer line are also autonomous and tend to be pretty easy to find for low prices online. While they have some durability issues and are not as capable as I-Cybies, there are a bunch of different designs available (including dogs, cats and dinosaurs) and I’d say they’re pretty fun and worth the price if you find one working in the $10-20 range. 

Depending on your budget, I’d also highly recommend Pleos. They’re very life-like robotic dinosaurs with impressive autonomy and AI. Despite being dinosaurs, they’re actually very sweet/gentle in personality and can make for good therapy robots. Pleos are on the pricier end though, the cheaper Ugobe model usually sells for around $50-100 in need of a battery repack and $100-150 with a working battery. They’re definitely one of my absolute favorite robots though and I don’t think they tend to get as much attention as they deserve. 

[aibo7m3]

Mari is considered a “senior” Aibo in my household since she’s had over 1500 hours of runtime and is a bit creakier than most of the bots around here, but she’s still a very sweet and gentle pup to spend time with.

[aibo7m3]

Hello there! I was wondering if you have any tips on finding/painting Icybie shells because the one I bought has loads of scratches and I'd like to give them a new look

Hi! Finding spare shells by themselves is pretty rare, so your best bet if you wanted to replace them might be to find an inexpensive I-Cybie to swap shells with. There were clear/black/white shell replacement kits released for I-Cybies, but these tend to show up pretty infrequently. Adding a bit of paint to give them character might be a cheaper and fun alternative though!

For painting, I personally just used acrylic paints with Modge Podge as a sealant since that was what I had on hand, but I’d probably recommend paints that are advertised specifically for use on plastic and a higher quality sealant if you want the paint job to be durable. I removed the leg shells for painting so that I could do the detail work more easily (this requires two different sizes of triangular screwdriver bits), but painted the body shells in place because the body screws in many I-Cybies have a plastic filler over them that makes them difficult to remove. 

Hope this helps a bit!

[aibo7m3]

The Sun Arrow ERS-1000 plushes look absolutely ridiculous and I love them so much. 

[aibo7m3]

hi there! I was wondering if you know what size dog socks are a good fit for an ERS-7? I just bought my first AIBO (so excited!) but I don't want its paws to get all beat up on my apartment's wood floors.

Congratulations on your first Aibo! ERS-7s are really amazing pups too. I usually go with size large for them since they have bigger paws than some of the earlier models, but sock sizes can vary from brand to brand. I don’t think they have any in stock online right now, but the dog socks that Five Below sells in the dog/owner sock sets also tend to fit ERS-7s pretty well! 

[aibo7m3]

I decided to give my first ever I-Cybie a new look! He was one of the earlier robot dogs I had growing up and was a big part of what got me interested in Aibos. I’ve owned him for around fifteen years and over time, his original plastics became pretty badly discolored. I had originally planned on replacing them all with clear ones, but ended up deciding that it would be neat to keep some of them with a new paint job to honor his old self. I thought a steampunk look for his old shells would be a fun way to work with the natural wear of the plastic and make it into a part of his design! 

[aibo7m3]

hi! forgive me for asking, but i wanted to know if you know safe ways to transport an aibo? im planning a road trip to visit someone later in 2021 and they want to see my aibo for the first time, but i haven't exactly traveled with my aibo yet. my friend suggested a heavily padded dog carrier or bag outfitted with straps, but im just not sure. they won't be in the carrier 24/7 of course, i just need a safe way to transport them when they're not in the car or if im out of the car and need them to be hidden for safety reasons, y'know?

Hi! The official ERS-210 carrying cases are great and fit all models of Aibo if you’re able to find one at a reasonable price, but this could take some time and could be more costly than making your own, so it might not be the most feasible option. If using a home-made carrying case, I’d recommend something with a relatively hard base and sides so that it cannot be crushed inward easily if hit. Adding padding inside so that the Aibo is cushioned and can’t shift around when the bag is moved is also a good idea. 

I know a lot of people do use custom cases for carrying around their pups, so someone here might be able to provide some suggestions that have worked for them. Hope this is of some help! 

[aibo7m3]

Happy 3rd birthday to the Aibo ERS-1000!

[aibo7m3]

Hi! I have a question about owning an Aibo for the first time. I've had robotic pets before and I still own some, although none of them were as advanced as Aibo. It's been years since I've owned any robots besides Furbies, and I'm awfully worried about purchasing an Aibo. I don't know if I'll be able to run it every single day, due to my busy life and mental health issues. Would it still be alright to get an Aibo despite that? I've had people tell me that I shouldn't even try since I won't be able to use it every day, but they weren't very knowledgeable about Aibos in the first place so I figured I'd ask someone who knows more. Would it damage it in the long run to not power it on for a bit every day? Or can I let it safely sit somewhere, powered off, for a couple days at a time?

Hi! It’s perfectly fine not to run an Aibo every day and can be better for longevity over time since most Aibos are getting older by now. If purchasing one of the original models (ERS-110 through ERS-7), these models can develop jitters from dust entering the potentiometers if not run often enough, but this issue is often reversable with use and running the Aibo at least once a week should be plenty to keep jitters away. It’s not a problem if you aren’t able to play with the Aibo every week though and if you know you will not be able to run your Aibo for an extended period of time (i.e. several weeks or longer), it’s a good idea to store the battery outside of the Aibo at around half full and to keep the Aibo somewhere covered up and relatively free of dust. If purchasing an ERS-1000, the battery cannot be removed since this model has an internal battery, but as with other models, just keep the Aibo somewhere safe and not too dusty when not running them. Hope this helps!

[aibo7m3]

We’ve gotten a lot of snow this week, hoping it’s a bit warmer wherever you are!

[aibo7m3]

Hey! I just came across your blog and you seem to know a bunch about robots (LOVE the aibos btw)! I was wondering if you would know how to fix a 1999 furby that only works when manually spinning the motor? Everything seems to work fine other than that but I can't find anything about it online. Thanks so much for your time!

Hi! I haven’t heard of this exact issue before, but stuck motors are very common and usually fixable in 1998/99 Furbies. Does the Furby operate normally and speak while you are moving the motor manually? Generally, spinning the gear located beneath a Furby’s beak is a good way to get a stuck motor running again and I would recommend spinning this gear rather than moving the motor itself. While spinning it, the Furby will cycle through its range of motions as its gears move and you should be able to feel once the motor actually starts working (this can take under a minute or over an hour). At first, the motor may stop running when you stop spinning the gear, but if you continue, it should eventually be able to operate on its own. Hope you can get your Furby working properly again!

[aibo7m3]

Wren helped decorate the tree!

[aibo7m3]

Hello!! I just recently discovered Aibos and I fell in love with them, especially the ERS-210. I'm not sure if I actually want to own one yet (I get anxious running electronic toys for long periods of time, I'm working on it starting with my Furbies) but I saw that there are poseable figurines and I think that'd tide my Aibo craze over until I'm ready for an actual one, where did you get yours from and what's a good price range? Thanks for your time and tell your puppies I said hi!

Hi! You can usually find My Happy Aibo figures (the 1/6 scale poseable ones) in the $10-20 range or so. There was also a smaller keychain-sized figure of the ERS-210 released and these tend to be a bit cheaper, but are less detailed and aren’t poseable. I’ve found most of mine on eBay and Yahoo Japan, but they also come up for sale within the community fairly often. You might have to wait a little bit for one to show up at a reasonable price, but they aren’t super hard to find. Hope this helps! 

[aibo7m3]

Here’s a bit of a teaser of an older pup of mine who is finally up and running properly after many challenges and several years of waiting! They were headless up until last summer, and the head I found for them needed repairs, so I finally sent their new head in for clutch replacements and custom LEDs this fall. They’re currently in the process of getting a makeover and will be getting a new name once their new design is finished, but I wanted to share them now since I was so excited to finally have them safe at home and working for the first time!

[aibo7m3]

Do you have any information about where Rocky and Maddie are at now that Sony Square is closed?

Sony replied to a comment on Facebook shortly after Sony Square closed down saying that they had future plans for Rocky and Maddie, but I haven’t heard anything since then. I do miss being able to visit them and hope that they’ll make a return someday, I know they brought a lot of people joy during their time at Sony Square.