THE COLLECTION
Hajime Sorayama (Japanese, born 1947), Sony Corporation, company design (Japanese, established 1946)
Aibo entertainment robot (ERS-110)
- Manufacturer:
- Sony Corporation, Creative Center
- Date:
- 1999
- Medium:
- Various materials
- Dimensions:
- 10 1/2 x 6 x 16 1/4" (26.7 x 15.2 x 41.3 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Gift of the manufacturer
- MoMA Number:
- 1426.2001
The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights since 1980, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2007, p. 182
In 1999 Sony introduced Aibo, an "autonomous robot that acts in response to external stimulation and its own judgment . . . capable of interacting and coexisting with people as a new form of robotic entertainment." Aibo stands slightly over ten inches tall, weighs about four and a half pounds, has a camera in its snout, a pair of stereo microphones in its ears, and a small speaker in its mouth. It has a walking pace of about 6.5 yards per minute, a touch sensor on top of its head, and eyes that change color and flash. Its brain is a 100 MHz, 64–bit processor with a 16 MB memory. The first-edition Aibo, in MoMA's collection, actually lifts its leg to urinate, a feature that was later omitted to render the "pet" gender neutral and appealing to dog and cat lovers alike.
Offered to consumers as an "intelligent and trainable robot companion," Aibo represents MoMA's first foray into Japanese innovations intended to modify lifestyles. This field has long been of interest because of the potential effect its products may have on the world, but in the past it has been lacking in aesthetic criteria.
Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900–2000
July 29–November 5, 2012
The Japanese word aibo, which means "pal," is also an acronym of sorts for Artificial Intelligence Robot, an electronic pet released by Sony in 1999. This robot has the ability to react to its environment and learn: it is trainable, responds to touch, and is programmed to simulate the behavior of a living animal (sit, stay, come) and perform certain tasks, such as appointment reminders and e-mail notification.
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