Move over Aibo... here comes Pleo

Ugobe, a robotics firm in Emeryville California, has introduced the Pleo robotic dinosaur. Not just a mere toy, the Pleo is modeled after a baby Camarasaurus sauropod and contains dozens of sensors, along with artificial intelligence software to show emotion.

The robot is covered in greenish-yellow plastic "skin." More than fifty servos, sensors and computers help control the robot’s movements. According to the manufacturer, Pleo can "mimic life with organic movement and behaviors."

Fourteen servo joints with force-feedback in the torso, head, tail, neck and legs help Pleo move around. Ugobe says that the robot will first move around clumsily, but as it "evolves" the movements will become more fluid. The joints combined with 48 touch, tilt, sound and light sensors help the robot avoid obstacles and it is smart enough to not walk off the edge of a table.

Pleo is able to display moods and emotions like curiosity, joy and anger. Much like how a child acts with their parents, if Pleo’s owner is happy the robot will be happy. Conversely, if the owner is angry, then Pleo will become angry. The operating system, called Life Form OS, can be upgraded with more emotions with future expansion packs to be downloaded via the SD card slot. In addition to moods, the robot has autonomic talents such tail wagging, sneezing and coughing.

One of the Pleo developers is Caleb Chung who helped make the infamous Furby voice-recording doll, which was banned from NSA buildings in 1999. Chung recently demoed the Pleo robot at the DEMO 2006 conference in Arizona. The dinosaur be avialbale in the third quarter for around $200.