Sony aibo ERS-1000

aibo is the longest-running consumer robot story in the industry. Sony launched the first AIBO, the ERS-110, in June 1999 — 3,000 units that sold out in twenty minutes — then closed the entire robotics division in 2006 and left tens of thousands of owners with dogs that could no longer be repaired. The ERS-1000, announced on 1 November 2017 and released in Japan on 11 January 2018 at 198,000 yen, was the second life of that project and the flagship of Sony's return to robotics. The hardware is unusually dense for a home product. Twenty-two axes of movement are distributed across the head, mouth, neck, waist, legs, ears and tail — enough for the ear flick and tail arc that carry most of a real dog's emotional signal. The eyes are two OLED displays rather than lamps, which is why aibo can narrow them, close them and look sideways. A 64-bit quad-core processor runs perception from two cameras (one facing forward, one on the back for SLAM mapping), four microphones, a time-of-flight sensor, ranging and light sensors, two six-axis inertial measurement units, a motion detector, capacitive and pressure touch sensors on head, chin and back, and pressure pads in the paws. It works for about two hours and recharges in about three, returning to its dock unaided, and stays connected over both Wi-Fi and its own LTE link. What Sony actually sells is the behaviour model. Each aibo's temperament drifts according to how it is handled — praise, petting and attention shape whether it grows affectionate or aloof — and its memories, learned faces and accumulated character live in Sony's cloud, not in the body, which is why the subscription plan is not optional. The design assumption is the opposite of most robots in this catalogue: aibo performs no task, carries nothing and saves no labour. It is sold purely as company. On 25 June 2026 Sony announced the end of Japanese sales of the ERS-1000/W once remaining stock runs out, with the last domestic list price at 272,800 yen including tax. Unlike 2006, the company committed to continuing everything around the dog: subscription plans, care support, spare parts, accessories, the My aibo app, the aibo Dock and repairs. US sales continue at 3,199.99 dollars with a three-year A.I. Cloud Plan included, sold as a final sale with no returns and unavailable in Illinois and parts of Baltimore. For now that makes the United States the last market where a new aibo can be bought.

▸Videos

No videos yet.

▸Reviews