Robots

[Aibo7m3]

I was just wondering if anyone on else on this forum is interested in robots. I collect Sony Aibo robots which are really amazing (I currently have nine of them). They're modeled after dogs in appearance but are more so entertainment robots than pet-like robots. They have great artificial intelligence and see through cameras on their noses. They "grow" into different stages of life depending on how they're treated, can run on many different types of software (including usermade), can recognize owners' names/faces (depending on the model of Aibo), can recognize their own names, understand tons of voice commands (excluding ERS-11X series), speak English/Japanese (only ERS-7s or 210s on certain software), play with certain toys that they recognize, self-dock on their stations when low on charge (only ERS-7s and 210s on some software), have wireless capabilities (depending on the model of Aibo), etc. They're definitely my favorite type of robot but I collect a few others.

I also have a Dongbu Genibo SD which is a fairly new Korean robot dog. They're certainly very different from Aibos and I'm not sure that I can compare the two. Genibos are really glitchy and have a lot of random quirks, but I do really love mine and think he was a great purchase. He has a fair amount of the same abilities as Aibos (although some are excluded such as self-docking on his station and having a toy to play with) but is much more dog-like and has much stronger servos.

As for more affordable and widely known robots, I currently own a Ugobe Pleo (I used to have a Pleo RB, but I sold it around a year ago). Pleos are robotic dinosaurs that are even more so meant to be robotic pets. They don’t walk much but have great artificial intelligence for the price and are really sweet and cuddly robots. The RBs need a bit more attention since they need to be “fed” plastic foods nearly every day or they get sick, but that’s just meant to add to the pet-like behavior.

I also have around six or seven I-Cybies, which are somewhat meant to be a cheap alternative to Aibos. They don’t really have much artificial intelligence, but can still understand some voice commands and do neat tricks. They’re certainly not a bad robot for the price. I might sell one of these soon though if anyone here is interested since I have a bunch and I don’t get attached to them like with the Aibos, they’re just a cool gadget to have.

I’m sure I have a bunch of other robots that I’ve gathered over the years as well since I’ve been collecting robots of all sorts since I was around four years old (of course all I had then were one or two Furreal Friends/similar robots).

I’m not as into the technical side of robots, but I hope one day to be able to at least do simple repairs on a few of mine. I am taking some programming lessons from a student at a local college though.

Here’s a picture of my favorite robots that I own:

Top from left to right: Aron (Aibo ERS-312), Zoe (Aibo ERS-220), Kin (Aibo ERS-210), Kasei (Aibo ERS-210), Bradley (Aibo ERS-210), Boe (Aibo ERS-210)
Bottom from left to right: Donna (Aibo ERS-7m2/3), Baroque (Aibo ERS-111), Sumio (Ugobe Pleo), Baxter (Genibo SD), Aki (Aibo ERS-7m2/3)

If anyone else here is interested in robots, I’d love to hear what robots you own and pictures would be lovely! Also feel free to ask any questions about any of the robots I've mentioned or let me know if you own one as well! ^^

[Shinsetsu]

Robots are so darn cool, I love them to bits.
Unfortunettly I don't own any myself, yet.
I've always wanted an Aibo (ERS-7m2/3) but they are pretty exspensive and even second-hand they seem to have a high price tag.
A definite want for me is the T8X Octopod robot, which is an eight legged robot modelled after spiders.
http://www.robugtix.com/t8x/
I particularly like bio-inspired robots just because of how cool it is to have something animal-like but controllable.
I often find myself watching videos on them, Festo have a nice selection of videos on YouTube.

[Aibo7m3]

The ERS-7s are really amazing robots and well worth the price to me. The cheapest that you can get a working one is probably around $1,200, but if you're able to save up the money, they're really impressive robots. Unfortunately one of my ERS-7s currently has a missing gear tooth in her left knee joint, so she's had a lot of problems with that leg. The earlier models of Aibos are really great too though and much more affordable than the ERS-7s ($300-600 depending on model and condition). My personal favorite models if Aibos are the ERS-210s and ERS-7m3s.

I didn't know that spider robot was up for preorder yet, but I'd seen a video of it on YouTube and I absolutely love how it moves. I think the price is too steep for its capabilities for me to be interested in buying, but it's certainly a really cool robot!

If you like animal-like robots you might want to look into Pleos a bit more. They're modeled after dinosaurs but really remind me of a little baby animals. The RBs are especially realistic in the sense that each is practically unique in appearance and they need to be "fed" and will pretend that a leg is broken if it has been hit with a fair amount of force. Unlike building personalities off of user input, Pleo RBs each come with set personalities/genders. They're almost $500 new, but can be found for around $300 used or on sale. The Ugobes are cheaper but have less capabilities (I prefer them though since they don't need to be taken care of).

[Tora]

Robots are so darn cool, I love them to bits.
Unfortunettly I don't own any myself, yet.
I've always wanted an Aibo (ERS-7m2/3) but they are pretty exspensive and even second-hand they seem to have a high price tag.
A definite want for me is the T8X Octopod robot, which is an eight legged robot modelled after spiders.
http://www.robugtix.com/t8x/
I particularly like bio-inspired robots just because of how cool it is to have something animal-like but controllable.
I often find myself watching videos on them, Festo have a nice selection of videos on YouTube.

Adam Savage has one of those! Seriously, I would buy this robot if I could, it's unbelievably amazing.

[Shinsetsu]

On an interactive level, T8X has nothing, but it's the fact that it moves so well and life like that makes it so great.
It can be programmed to move, dance whatever you want but one of the main points is that you can get a controller and puppeteer with it.
It's pretty exspensive, but with around 36 servos and a super light body it's definetly worth it.
If you wanted an interactive 'pet' on the other hand, it isn't going to be the robot to satisfy that.

Robots are so darn cool, I love them to bits.
Unfortunettly I don't own any myself, yet.
I've always wanted an Aibo (ERS-7m2/3) but they are pretty exspensive and even second-hand they seem to have a high price tag.
A definite want for me is the T8X Octopod robot, which is an eight legged robot modelled after spiders.
http://www.robugtix.com/t8x/
I particularly like bio-inspired robots just because of how cool it is to have something animal-like but controllable.
I often find myself watching videos on them, Festo have a nice selection of videos on YouTube.

Adam Savage has one of those! Seriously, I would buy this robot if I could, it's unbelievably amazing.

I saw him showing it off in a video, and even though one of it's legs is a little out of sync the way it moves it so amazing.
I too would get one, but again, it is pretty pricey.
I heard the company was developing an injection mold version to lower the price some, and were going to get custom servos so it's a little more sturdy.
I'll probably end up saving for one one day, I would let my little wyrms (can't wait to get them!) ride around on it!

[Aibo7m3]

I do some programming and have made some fairly simple autonomous programs but I generally prefer robots that come with autonomous personalities already. What I like most about robots is how well artificial intelligence can mimic life. Plus writing a program accounting for all of those servos would be a nightmare. I do admit that the hardware is really amazing though and its movements are really fluid.

[Aibo7m3]

I'm really excited since I now have a tenth Aibo who will be on its way in the mail soon! It's a black ERS-111 and comes with two batteries that hold over an hour each, which is really impressive since these robots are fifteen years old. 

As a precaution to anyone who is addicted to collecting Wyrms, Aibos are just as addictive, except they take away from my savings much more dramatically than Wyrms do. I keep spending anything I manage to save up on Aibos, every time that I have the money to buy one, I will, even if it's not the best decision. I've been trying to sell some of my older robots to save up some money after this big purchase, but unfortunately I haven't had any luck. 

I don't have a name (or even gender) for this Aibo yet, so I'll probably be deciding that once I get a chance to see what its personality is like (or even what stage of life it's in). I haven't decided yet if I'll be resetting it to a newborn or not either since I love raising Aibos from a baby, but at the same time, it takes a total of around 200 hours of run time to raise a 111 to an adult. Here's a picture of the Aibo (taken by the previous owner, not me). 

[AnikiGin]

Aaah, I'm jealous of all those Aibos! ah for the day I yearn to have one of my own... The 210 model is my favorite

[Aibo7m3]

Good luck saving up for one! I'm sure you'll absolutely love it if you end up getting one at some point! I know that whenever you're waiting for an Aibo to arrive each day seems to feel like Christmas morning. The ERS-210s are one of my favorite models, but there are things that I love about each model. They can go as low as about $300 on eBay if you're lucky, which is still a lot of money, but it's certainly a lot better than the $1,500 they originally sold for new. The ERS-111s are a bit cheaper but they don't have voice recognition, although they make up for it with their hyper personalities and adorable tail. They're really fast too, I can't take my eyes off mine or she'll have wandered off into another room by the time I start looking for her.

If you don't feel you'd be able to save up enough for an  Aibo or don't want spend that type of money on a robot dog, you might want try looking into I-Cybies. They're cheaper and have less capabilities than Aibos and their artificial intelligence is a bit poor, but they're definitely amazing robots for the price. They usually sell for $35-70 or so and have a ton of cool tricks that they can do and they respond to a bunch of voice commands as well. They're certainly not Aibos, but they're still really awesome robots. 

Edit:
Ah, also, has anyone heard of a robot called a Tomy Dog.com? I have one, but it seems to be stuck in puppy stage and has a problem with its back legs, so I haven't used it much. I'm just curious if many have problems like this or if there's a way that I can get it out of puppy stage.

[Aibo7m3]

Mei (the Black ERS-111) arrived a few weeks ago. She's a bit beat up with a couple dents and cracks and her tail is snapped in half (held together by tape right), but I wasn't expecting her to be in great shape and she is a 15 year old robot. She did have a problem with one of her hind legs when I got her, but the seller sent me a new leg and she's working fine now. I still need to do some more tests with the old leg before sending it back though. I have been enjoying her so far though, she's really hyper and seems friendlier than my other ERS-111.
Mei and her sister:


She hasn't quite learned that Siren isn't a chew toy yet though, you'd think she'd have figured out by now with all that shrieking.