Death of Aibo: The Abandonment of The Robotic Age

In what is by now old news, Sony has announced that it will abandon the AIBO robotic dog, along with its robot development team. Is this the burst of what was to be the beginning of the promised age of robotics?

The AIBO's have proved their worth from greatly advancing robotic soccer to increasing the allure of computer science to women and minorities, as well as increase the happiness of terminally ill patients and the elderly. Open source communities have developed many applications and systems for the dog, allowing a great movement in the areas of hobbiest robot software and robotics in education at all levels.

The only answer from Sony? They wanted to focus as a company and the Aibo wasn't in the direction they wanted to go. Sony is shifting back once again into attempting to dominate the entertainment industry, where most of the non military research and development bread and butter resides.

The entertainment industry has lead huge advances in computer technology, simulation, real-time rendering, ubiquitious and realtime media, portability and mobility, and more. If anyone has been successful in robotics for every day life, it has been Aibo because of their entertainment value.

Now that the Aibo is dead, will another company step up? Other than the few that are trying to create simple kids toys, this remains yet to be seen.


News Articles:

Sony to quit manufacturing AIBO, QRIO
What happened to the Robot Age?
For Sony's Robotic Aibo, It's the Last Year of the Dog.
Rest in Peace, Sony Aibo
Man Bites Robotic Dog
Man Kills Robot
Muttricide and Profits at Sony
Aibo put to sleep
Sony scraps four-legged robot pet Aibo
Aibo Collector on End of Robot Dog's Production (NPR-Audio)
Robotic toys are going the way of the dinosaurs