The announcement Thursday marks the end of an era for loyal fans of the high-tech toy, which develops its own personality and can perform tricks like waving and mimicking its owner.The ERS-1000 model of aibo -- a 30-centimetre (one-foot) long hound with flapping ears, eyes that show various emotions, and a nose camera -- charmed customers on its launch in 2018, clocking up 20,000 sales in the first six months.It was also a big comeback for Sony's robot dog.
It marks the end of an era for loyal fans of the high-tech toy © Richard A. Brooks / AFP
The first iteration of aibo came out in 1999, followed by numerous models over the years -- from angular metallic-silver bots to more cuddly round-faced versions -- with more than 150,000 units sold.But by 2006, Sony, facing a tough business environment, pulled the plug on aibo, seen as something of a frivolous luxury.Sony said in a short statement Thursday that Japan sales of the current ERS-1000 model will be discontinued once stock runs out.Services such as access to tech support, replacement parts and subscriptions to online cloud plans to store the robodog's memories will be maintained, it said.
Services such as access to tech support will be maintained © Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP
