February 7th, 2006
Meet Pleo, descendent of Furby
Demo 2006: Ugobe founder and chief inventor Caleb Chung shows off his latest offspring, Pleo (see photo below). Chung also co-invented Furby, which was a great annoyance in my house a few years ago. His latest invention is much more lifellike and natural. According to the company Pleo is modeled after a one-week old Camarsaurus:
Pleo has been specifically engineered to mimic life with organic movement and behaviors that allow him to relate to humanity on a personal level. Pleo is able to use simultaneous sensory inputs along with a sophisticated behavioral platform to act independently and express himself through motion and sound. Pleo can convey emotions, is aware of himself and his surroundings, and evolves in behavior over time.
Furby co-inventor Caleb Chung talks to his latest creation, Pleo
Features include:
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14 servo joints (torso, head, tail, neck, legs) with force feedback
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38-touch, sound, light and tilt sensors including nine touch sensors (mouth, chest, head,
shoulders, back, feet) and 8 feet and toe sensors -
Fluid quadruped motion
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Ability to avoid obstacles and not walk off edges
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Sound output, stereo sound sensors and music beat detection
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Autonomous interaction with owner and environment including coughing, blinking eyes,
chomping, twitching, sighing, sneezing, sniffing, growling stomach, tail drift, and yawning -
Distinct moods including anger, boredom, playfulness, hunting, cautious, cuddling,
disgust, disorientation, distress, fear, curiosity, joy, sorrow, surprise, fatigue, hunger, and
a desire for social interaction -
Upgradeable, Life Form OS and Personality System
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SD card memory expansion
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Ability to communicate with other UGOBE Life Forms
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Rechargeable battery
Naked Pleo
Pleo is expected to be available for adoption in Q3 2006 and will retail for a modest $199.
More coverage of Demo 2006 from news.com here.
Dan Farber, editor-in-chief of CNET News.com, has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
