{"id":651652,"date":"2013-04-10T09:30:01","date_gmt":"2013-04-10T13:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ted.com\/?p=74583"},"modified":"2013-04-10T13:03:03","modified_gmt":"2013-04-10T17:03:03","slug":"7-covetable-toys-that-blurred-the-line-between-robot-pet-and-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/651652","title":{"rendered":"7 covetable toys that blurred the line between robot, pet and friend"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_74584\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 596px\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-74584\" alt=\"Romo-at-TED\" src=\"http:\/\/tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/04\/romo-at-ted.jpg?w=900\"   \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Romo takes a bow on the TED2013 stage. Photo: James Duncan Davidson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\">Childhood pals Keller Rinaudo, Phu Nguyen and Peter Seid had a simple motivation for creating the smartphone toy robot <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/keller_rinaudo_a_mini_robot_powered_by_your_phone.html\">Romo<\/a>. As Rinaudo <a href=\"http:\/\/news.cnet.com\/8301-32973_3-57371451-296\/romo-the-smartphone-robot-raises-$1.5m-seeks-world-domination\/\">told CNET<\/a>, it was because most personal robots on the market are simply &#8220;sucky.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/keller_rinaudo_a_mini_robot_powered_by_your_phone.html\" class=\"video_teaser\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.ted.com\/images\/ted\/285bc112e1bac3e7158c8546404db577fb884544_240x180.jpg\" alt=\"Keller Rinaudo: A mini robot -- powered by your phone\" width=\"132\" height=\"99\" \/>Keller Rinaudo: A mini robot &#8212; powered by your phone<span class=\"play\"><\/span><\/a>Rinaudo, Nguyen and Seid &#8212; who founded the company <a href=\"http:\/\/romotive.com\/\">Romotive<\/a> &#8212; set out to build a personal robot that harnesses the powerful processor available in every smartphone. They aimed to make their bot highly programmable. And they wanted it to have a lot of personality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think if you\u2019re going to have a robot in your home, that robot should be a manifestation of your imagination,\u201d says Rinaudo in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/keller_rinaudo_a_mini_robot_powered_by_your_phone.html\">yesterday&#8217;s talk<\/a>, filmed at TED2013. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where the future of robots will go. But what we do know that it isn\u2019t 10 years or $10\u00a0 billion away \u2026 The future of personal robotics is happening today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So how does Romo work? Your iPhone docks into a robotic base that looks a bit like a white and blue tank. When you download the Romo app, the bot springs to life, giving you facial expressions and responding to your movements. Romo can be driven, and thus can perform simple tasks for you. He can even be a roaming photographer or videographer.<\/p>\n<p>Romo starts shipping in June. Meanwhile, online ads for the bot proclaim, \u201cI\u2019m Romo the Robot, your pet and friend.\u201d Naturally, this reminds us of a few prior inventions that also attempted to blur these lines.<\/p>\n<p>Here, a look&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text\/html' width='586' height='360' src='http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3q7sHJdkTME?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;%23038;fs=1&#038;%23038;showsearch=0&#038;%23038;showinfo=1&#038;%23038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;%23038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Giga Pets<\/b><br \/>\nOften credited as the \u201cfirst virtual pet,\u201d Giga Pets were released in 1997 by Tiger Toys. While the 2-bit graphic keychain critters seem quaint now, they were much-loved at the time for their ability to tell their owners when they were hungry. (Yes, they grew with proper care.) Above, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3q7sHJdkTME\">vintage commercial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-74588\" alt=\"Furby\" src=\"http:\/\/tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/04\/furby.jpg?w=900\"   \/><\/p>\n<p><b>The Furby<\/b><br \/>\nFor anyone who scoured toystores and braved unthinkable lines during the holiday season of 1998 &#8212; in hopes of getting their hands on a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.furby.com\/\" >Furby<\/a> \u00a0&#8211; the concept of an electronic pet will sound familiar. The owl-like robotic toys started out speaking \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.furby.com\/en_US\/furbish-dictionary\">Furbish<\/a>.\u201d But over time \u2013 with human interaction \u2013 they learned bits of English and developed personalities. According to <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Furby#cite_note-9\">Wikipedia<\/a>, more than 40 million were sold in their first three years on the market. Hasbro revived Furbies in 2012 \u2013 this time with an app that allows people to translate Furbish as well as feed the little guys.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-74589\" alt=\"AIBO\" src=\"http:\/\/tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/04\/aibo.jpg?w=900\"   \/><\/p>\n<p><b>AIBO<\/b><br \/>\nA year after the Furby, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/stories\/1999-05-23\/this-cute-little-pet-is-a-robot\"><i>Businessweek<\/i> ran an article<\/a>\u00a0about a new offering from Sony \u2013 the robotic puppy AIBO. The article opened, \u201cToshi T. Doi, Sony Corp.&#8217;s leading computer engineer, is obsessed with robots. His small, third-floor lab is a breeding ground for robotic pups taking their first wobbly steps, chasing balls, and barking for attention. \u2018We&#8217;re getting ready for the age of digital creatures,\u2019 says Doi.\u201d These cute pups, which cost more than $2000, lasted through 2005.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-74590\" alt=\"i-CYBIE\" src=\"http:\/\/tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/04\/i-cybie.jpg?w=900\"   \/><\/p>\n<p><b>i-Cybie<\/b><br \/>\nAIBO inspired many a robotic dog\u2014the cutest of which was i-Cybie, from Silverlit Toys. I-Cybie could respond to voice commands, a la \u201cwag your tail,\u201d and exhibited what seemed like real emotions. The adorable metal dog could even pick itself up if it fell down. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2001\/02\/04\/business\/here-boy-come-to-the-toy-store-please.html?pagewanted=all&amp;src=pm\">Read this<i>\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0piece<\/a> on how this virtual pet arrived in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text\/html' width='586' height='360' src='http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vx8mv87e6wE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;%23038;fs=1&#038;%23038;showsearch=0&#038;%23038;showinfo=1&#038;%23038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;%23038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PARO <\/b><br \/>\nPARO, the \u201chealing robotic seal,\u201d comes to life when you say his name. Thanks to tactile sensors, <a href=\"http:\/\/mashable.com\/2011\/04\/27\/robot-pet-therapy\/\">writes Mashable<\/a>, he responds to petting and coos excitedly when you rub his forehead. Why was he designed? Japanese company <a href=\"http:\/\/www.parorobots.com\/index.asp\">AIST explains on their website<\/a> that he was created to provide the benefits of animal therapy \u2013 reduced stress, emotional stimulation \u2013 to people in hospitals and other environments where a real-life pet wouldn\u2019t be allowed. He\u2019s been <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/07\/05\/science\/05robot.html?_r=2&amp;pagewanted=1\">covered in <i>The New York Times<\/i><\/a>\u00a0\u2026 and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CfCTBOTHsVU\">tested by Barack Obama<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-74595\" alt=\"Pleo\" src=\"http:\/\/tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/04\/pleo.jpg?w=900\"   \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Pleo<\/b><br \/>\nWho wouldn\u2019t want a miniature dinosaur? In <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/caleb_chung_plays_with_pleo.html\">the TED Talk &#8220;Caleb Chung plays with Pleo<\/a>,&#8221; the famed toy designer introduces us to Pleo, a robotic dinosaur that acts like a pet. Pleo is curious about the world around it and explores, plays and even learns. The bot responds to touch and, of course, cuddles. Reborn in 2010 as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pleoworld.com\/pleo_rb\/eng\/index.php\">Pleo rb<\/a>, these bots now have born-in personality traits &#8212; think courage and obedience &#8212; and go through a four-stage life cycle.<\/p>\n<p>  <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gocomments\/tedconfblog.wordpress.com\/74583\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/comments\/tedconfblog.wordpress.com\/74583\/\" \/><\/a> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/stats.wordpress.com\/b.gif?host=blog.ted.com&#038;blog=14795620&#038;%23038;post=74583&#038;%23038;subd=tedconfblog&#038;%23038;ref=&#038;%23038;feed=1\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/TEDBlog\/~4\/P60w-6O46wQ\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Romo takes a bow on the TED2013 stage. Photo: James Duncan Davidson Childhood pals Keller Rinaudo, Phu Nguyen and Peter Seid had a simple motivation for creating the smartphone toy robot Romo. As Rinaudo told CNET, it was because most personal robots on the market are simply &#8220;sucky.\u201d Keller Rinaudo: A mini robot &#8212; powered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7344,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-651652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7344"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651652\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}