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Ugobe Pleo - Meet Dino's Information Age Sibling

Details
Category: Toys and Robots
Written by Michael Todd

At Demo 2006 in Phoenix Arizona, the creator of the Furby announced the birth of an artificial life form called Pleo, welcomed into the world by 700 white-shirted venture capitalists singing "happy birthday to you." The company behind Pleo is Ugobe, lead by executives from the toy industry and luminaries from the film and animation world.

While playing with the Pleo prototype, I was drawn to thoughts of Dino, the baby pet dinosaur in the Flintstone family. Learning the Santa Claus secret early in life, I knew that Dino was out of place in the Flintstone home, because dinosaurs were long extinct before man came to rule the world. Also, I felt that if we ever did encounter a real dinosaur, it would probably rip us and our homes to shreds, not exactly the best candidate for a family pet. And, while Dino couldn't help me to suspend reality, I think Pleo might just do the trick.

Equipped with more than three dozen sensors, including stereo sound, touch panels, and infrared, Pleo requires no remote control and is free to interact with his owner and environment. There's no on/off switch – Pleo is activated when you talk to it, touch it and react to it 's just like a real life pet.

Over time, Pleo will bond with its owner, and even learn new behaviors based upon it's environment. Pleo can convey emotions, is aware of himself and his surroundings, and evolves as it experiences the world.

The designers of Pleo wanted him to be as small as possible, a tabletop toy if possible. Therefore, Pleo knows about edges, and appears frightened when looking down over the edge of a table. Also, Pleo knows when he is about to step onto a dinner onto an uneven surface, or onto your dinner plate, and tries to find another way to go.

Equipped with an SD card, Pleo's software can be upgraded or modified by users. The designers are aware hat some hacker-types might even want to breed Pleo with Tyrannasaurus Rex traits, and that appears to be OK with them. Unlike Sony's closed-source attempt to deliver a robotic dog pet, Ugobe is creating an open SDK (software developer's kit), and they believe that opening up the programming, even to the most bizarre or quirky ideas, will only help to expand the Pleo lore.

Pleo will be available in the third quarter of 2006, in time for the holidays, and will MSRP for $199. For more info, visit www.ugobe.com.

Who are the Gadget Gurus?

peopleatsign.jpg Gadget Gurus technology reviews are heard and read by millions of people across the United States, including more than a dozen print publications, dozens of tier-one radio stations, on third-party websites, and more than ever, online at our own website.

NEWS: This year, you will see a number of exciting announcements from Gadget Gurus, including podcasts, our syndicated "Gadgets-in-a-Minute" broadcasts, and our ever-expanding "Best Of" lists.   Also, you will be seeing our portfolio of magazine "gadget pages" growing into a number of vertical markets.

TECH2 LAKE HOUSE

th-channel7-370.jpgUPDATE - The exterior of the Technology Lake House is complete and we are now working on interior finishing and electronics.  Last year, San Francisco's Channel 7 ABC News ran a special video report on the construction progress of the Technology Lake House, and we expect them back for a follow-up soon.  Click HERE for a DLINK Live Video Feed with pan and zoom features (userid=user, no password, daylight hours only). 

Ron Rosberg's current project home, the Technology Lake House, is currently under construction on the shores of Clearlake in Northern California.  Even though the house is a wireless demo house, we have installed more than seven miles of wires in the walls for dozens of flat panel TVs, speakers, control panels, and sophisticated lighting. So far, more than a dozen technology and fixture manufacturers have agreed to sponsor this project, which has been simmering in Ron's head since he attended the first CES show in New York in 1967.  The 7,500 square foot project (plus three existing rustic cabin guest houses) is being built on a five-acre Honeymoon Cove resort with 500 feet of beach directly across from Konocti Harbor Resort.  This summer retreat will host  technology gatherings annually, inviting Western states home builders, contractors, and technology consultants for a live open house showcasing the latest in home technologies.  There is room to park plenty of boats, so plan on coming up for some lake fun after the project is complete.  For more info, send email to ronald@usa.net, or call 707-995-2683.  To see the latest photos, visit Ron's Flickr gallery.

We are currently looking for products to evaluate in these areas:

  • Home automation: lighting, security, and entertainment
  • A/V technology for the 500 SF home theater media demo room

Hot News on Cool New Features: The ENTIRE front of the home is made of 21 sliding NanaWall glass panels that fold into the walls, opening the entire home up to the lake during demo days.