Aibo Celebrates Its 6th Birthday with the Adorable Kinako Edition

Aibo, Sony’s smart robot dog, has just turned 6 years old, and to mark this special milestone, Sony has unveiled a limited-edition version named Kinako. With its unique new appearance and many exciting features, Aibo Kinako is sure to captivate tech enthusiasts and animal lovers alike.

Sony has released a limited-edition Aibo robot dog in a new two-tone kinako color. The light brown and white Aibo also comes with two new eye colors—bright golden brown and glossy dark brown—which can be changed via the My Aibo app. The Kinako Edition for 2024 celebrates six years since the launch of the latest Aibo generation.

Sony Aibo is a robot dog with cloud-based AI services that enable it to recognize individuals, take photos of memorable moments, learn new tricks, navigate rooms, and develop a unique personality for each dog and owner, along with their unique interactions. Aside from the limited-edition body, eye color, and collar, the Aibo Kinako Edition functions identically to other Aibo models.

Development of the first generation began in 1998, with a consumer release in 1999. Four generations of Aibo have been released since then, with the latest ERS-1000 model launched in 2018 in an Ivory White version and subsequent limited-edition colors including Choco in 2019, Caramel in 2020, Sesame Black in 2021, Strawberry Milk in 2022, and Espresso in 2023.

The Aibo ERS-1000 uses a 64-bit quad-core CPU to control multiple actuators in the head, mouth, neck, waist, paws, legs, ears, and tail, providing flexible movement across 22 axes. Two front cameras, speakers, and four microphones, along with ToF, range, pressure, capacitive, motion, gyroscope, accelerometer, and light sensors, enable Aibo to interact with the world. This requires a subscription to the Aibo Basic Plan, which uses an integrated 4G LTE mobile modem to access cloud-based AI services.

Aibo measures approximately 180 x 293 x 305mm and weighs 2.2kg. The dog has a runtime of two hours with a recharge time of three hours. The Aibo Kinako Edition and matching collar will be available until stocks last. The 2024 edition is available for purchase at Sony Stores in Japan or online for a one-time price of 272,800 yen. The Aibo Basic Plan subscription requires an initial payment of 99,000 yen, followed by a monthly fee of 3,278 yen for a three-year contract.

The launch of the limited-edition Kinako not only celebrates Aibo's birthday but also showcases Sony's creativity and continuous innovation. Aibo Kinako promises to be a meaningful gift for those who love technology and want an intelligent and adorable companion.