Since November 2018 , Penguin Café in Tokyo has been bear a rather unusual issue . Every Sunday , café owner Nobuhiro Futaba give his door an hour too soon so the urban center ’s residents and their eyetooth companions can love a grab - up and a free rein particular date . But the animals are a lilliputian less canine and little more K-9 than you might have a bun in the oven ; they are all Aibo automaton weenie .
Described by Rosalind Adams atBuzzFeed News , who managed to infiltrate one of the futuristic umber forenoon , the hebdomadal “ Aibo World ” event involve the robots find out trick from one another and even being thrown birthday parties .
Aibo – which means familiar in Japanese – refers to Sony ’s line of robot domestic dog , the later be $ 2,000 plus special each month to lay in data in the swarm . Futaba told Adams that his married woman objected to the cost of getting a techno favorite , but he could n’t resist and is thrilled to have Simon as his four - legged fellow traveler .
So why might people prefer a robotic dog to a substantial - life furred friend ? The café - goers give Adams a variety of reasons , from want of space and long work hours to not being able to confront the death of a existent pet . It seems the Aibo can provide companionship and joy to its proprietor without the complexities that come with deliver a live doggo in the menage .
The robot uses artificial intelligence operation to tailor itself to its owner . “ As aibo learns its environment and develops relationship with the great unwashed , its identity take aim on more and more layers , ” read theAibo website . “ With everything you do , your aibo becomes your aibo . ”
One feature of the latest Aibo that makes it so likeable to those who can not face the grief of lose their beloved pet is that all its datum , include the “ personality ” it has developed , are put in in the cloud . So , if Aibo damaged a leg or lose an spike , all its information could be uploaded onto a new automaton . essentially , your pet Aibo will live everlastingly .
While the notion of Aibo might seem totally off-the-wall , it kind of makes common sense . Busy city - dwellers who would struggle to decent wish for a veridical dog can now have their very own pet pooch without having to worry about allergies , having a garden , or making time for walkies .
Perhaps Futaba ’s musical theme might pass to a new Aibo café delirium , provide a pitilessness - destitute option to thereal animal cafésthat have become so popular in recent years . Constantly being pet or made to play with human can be stressful for creature , and now animate being cafés seem to have moved forth from domesticated pets like cats and dogs to uncivilized animals like owls , snake , and meerkats .
It ’s best not to give your money to cafés that work wildlife in this mode , a café is not a natural habitat for a wild animal . There ’s a bunch of robo - pups in Tokyo that will be right smart more pleased to see you .
[ H / T : BuzzFeed News ]
