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[Crewella]

Yep, like Gucci I thought the positioning of the new Pleo/On switch was a little....erm.... risque!  It reminded me of those articles you used to get in Cosmopolitan magazine!

Thanks, again, Degers - I will TRY to be patient!!

[RedwoodsMama]

 Hey fellow Pleo luvers, this is my guess as to what Pleo Rb will look like and the answer to wearing skin problems and the battery issue. This is a photo of what I think will be a close interpetation of the new pleo, and it will be PLUSH PLEO RB. THE PLEO WILL HAVE CUSTOM SOFT SKIN, PLUSH OR FABRIC, NO MORE SKIN PROBLEMS. THIS IS A PHOTO FROM A SCIENCE CONVENTION WITH A JETTA REPRESENTIVE AND HE IS HOLDING A SMALLER VERSION OF PLEO AND YES IT IS PLUSH,
                I MAY BE WRONG, BUT I THINK THIS WOULD BE A GOOD EXPLANTATION OF HOW THEY COULD SUCCEED AT DOING THIS.  ;DI LIKE THE IDEA MYSELF,


     

More details...

                       RedwoodsMama and Team Nova

[Crewella]

I remember that pic - poor Pleo looks like an old man with no teeth!  I really hope not!!

[RedwoodsMama]

 Hi Crewell, I am thinking just the plush fabric, mabye not his head, I agree his head and mouth are not nice but it could explain how paint would not wear out! also they could improve on this with not a thick plush fabric but a thinner fabric or plush feel to it like they use on Model Horses, sort of a velvet type touch feeling, just a guess mind you, I would prefer the skin it has now if the paint doeosnt wear out, I just came across this and thought it a possibility.
                              RedwoodsMama and Team Nova

[allosaurus]

Ew, I object.

I definitely prefer the rubbery material Pleo already has, even IF it wears easily.


..... I assume it would be a bit of a money stretch to use a sort of faux lizard-skin for Pleo?

[gucci_boi7782]

I like the concept of the stuffed animal style pleo, but it is wayyy too thick! Pleo needs to loose some weight [and get some new dentures]!! Thanks for sharing photo, RWM..

[RedwoodsMama]

  Gucci, remember, this is just the Prototype that they presented way back in January of 2010 and of course there are bound to be improvements, I do think it could solve skin problems, maybe not even all the body would be this material, just the body that gets heavy petting, the face and feet may be something different? Dont get angry at me guys, I am just guessing possbilities and am not saying this is the best solution, but could be  A SOLUTION, just trying to figure out all the possibilites and thought I may be the first one who thought this was what it may be.We will all have to wait and see. Yes, I agree, Pleo is too fat like this and his mouth needs improvenments, But from a marketing viewpoint, If I was trying to get a wider audience of Pleo Consumers, I would pick Plush Pleo RB aimed at the younger child who likes to cuddle with something soft and this would be that Plush feeling children could like.
                                                                 RedwoodsMama and Team Nova

[degers]

RedwoodsMama you are mistaken.  The Plush Pleo was just a concept.  Pleo RB is going to have similar skin to existing Pleos with some improvements. (more later)

[Crewella]

Awwww RWM - please don't feel we're getting at you!

I do see your point on how fabric might wear better, but I still prefer a rubber/vinyl type skin - I think it's more flexible.

[Jules]

Even fabric wears after a while, look at your home furniture I bet it is a tiny but worn in places, plush would just be a tad too yucky for me

[RedwoodsMama]

  See guys,I knew if I posted this there would be enough responses, that somone ( good old Degers  ) would respond to the Skin question, NOw we all know what type of skin pleo will have, so that is another question answered. Thanks for the answer Degers, we all are happy to hear that. aLL I CARE ABOUT IS THAT THE SKIN DOES NOT WEAR OUT AS FAST. I want skin that the color lasts and does not fade as easy as well as tear or rip.
                                                     RedwoodsMama and Team Nova

[Pleo-Freak55]

wow a Plush Pleo for hug nice but I have a question: are it the Plush Pleo too to buy?

[degers]

NOw we all know what type of skin pleo will have, so that is another question answered.

I thought it was quite clear by the PHOTOGRAPH I posted?  However I guess there is no helping some people.

[RedwoodsMama]

Degers, I understand that the skin Pleo RB will have is NOT going to be Plush, but when I first looked, just by the Photo, I thought it looked like it does now, but I was told never to ASSUME something, and my eyes are not as young or good as yours, ( that is me in glasses by the way  ) so I could be wrong, and when I saw the Plush Pleo, I just posted it as a question and possibility, I understood from your answer that yes it is not going to be PLUSH, but I do not think PleoFreak understands your answer, ( the English as well) so that is NOT her fault, We all know from your answer that Pleo Rb will have skin similiar to what it has now, different coloring but same type material, so Please do not think that we ( the forum members ) do not understand your answer, Some are from other countries and also perhaps , not everyone reads all the answers that come before the one that you answer so someone also can miss your reply,
              I also thought just posting the picture I found brought good discussion, on what type of material /skin people thought they preferred or possibilities for Pleo RB. Isn't that what the forums are for, discussion, and people's opinions? Not everyone likes the same thing and even when the majority of people like one thing, there are still some even a small majority who may like something else,In the end it doesnt matter what we the Members like or do not like, the final outcome is dependant on what the makers of Pleo RB decide as the final project, just as we can not control or say what we think the price should be. One thing that I am we all agree on is that we appreciate this Post you have made and we all are anxiously awaiting the next little tidbit of information you give us, so thank you for that.
                                                RedwooodsMama and Team Nova

[Crewella]

Pleofreak has a point - there was a range of (inanimate) plush Aibo sold, as well as the robots - I wonder if anyone would bring out a plush Pleo, just as a more traditional toy?

[Crewella]

"I am not keen on Pleo looking like a stuffed toy"

I completely agree - the whole point of the skin to me was to add a note of realism.  As a kid I would have loved Kota and his ilk, and the Wowee range, but at my grand old age that's not what I'm after.

[barrettgazzy]

Some people might say that leather too will wear , but i am betting it will last a lot longer then rubber material , when i Look at my leather sofa i have had 6 yrs and i have 2 young children it still Looks good and no colour fade any where so if this kind of material could be used on pleo i am thinking it might not be a bad idea that 1 maybe ... even if it was only used for areas that will be prone to paint fade and wear and tear . 

[Crewella]

I'm not sure about modern leather treatments - a few years back I'd have said leather probably would need too much care, but it's possible.  Main problem would be cost - leather needs to be cured and then worked and in most industries it's cheaper to find a leather substitute, which puts us right back to plastic and rubber.

Having said that - I'm now picturing Iggy as Marlon Brando and considering making him a leather jacket, so thank you!

[barrettgazzy]

what would you think of a pleo made out of the material Aibo's are made from ? i think that too could be a good idea if done the right way , he would not look so robot like if he still has the sensors he has now with maybe a few more thrown in :-)
maybe that way you could get parts repaired easier like you can with Aibo's .... still today .

+ possibility for more freedom of motion with the legs and head i think it could be great idea 

[Crewella]

Not so sure about that - I love the Aibos as you do, but I do believe part of the magic of a Pleo is the realism and you'd lose that.  It makes much more sense in terms of repairs, and I'd still buy it (of course! ), but personally I'd rather they just improved the rubber skin.

[barrettgazzy]

i am thinking that they are already using the best they can use for the skin i do not think they can improve on that any more really + i do not think paint will ever work great on rubber type materials any ways .

i know you are thinking that pleo would look more robot like if made from material like Aibo but i still think he could keep the charm he has , the same colours can still be used and he will still have those eyes that people love . If you ever watched vids of pleo skinned i actually quite like that Look as well lol he Looks quite smart underneath that skin , and a big plus is pleo will last a very long time which to me is a big priority  .  

[Crewella]

That's a fair point, and a concern!  It was the rubber beaks that always gave out on the emototronic Furbies.

I do quite like the look of the skinned Pleos as well, and any Pleo's better than no Pleo or a holey Pleo, but I'm still hoping for maybe another plastic or vinyl to keep the soft, lifelike feel.

[barrettgazzy]

to keep that soft feel to pleo could you see a pleo made up of plastic material much like a Aibo but the touch sensitive areas could be padded out with a leather type material to keep that soft touch appeal ?? Hmmm it could work if done right lol it works in my Mind  i think a lot of how i would like the pleo rb to look and what improvements could be done .

[allosaurus]

to keep that soft feel to pleo could you see a pleo made up of plastic material much like a Aibo but the touch sensitive areas could be padded out with a leather type material to keep that soft touch appeal ?? Hmmm it could work if done right lol it works in my Mind  i think a lot of how i would like the pleo rb to look and what improvements could be done .

Hmmm, I know this is not leaning much towards your opinion, but I had an idea a while ago and you just reminded me...


What do people think of a rubbery skin with a sort of padding underneath?  Not all over Pleo, of course, but it just bothered me slightly (SLIGHTLY is the word here) that Pleo had such baggy skin, especially around the sides.  I know this could be (and likely is) used for ease of movement, but it seems to me that there's a bit much there even for that.  So I was thinking a sort of padding (like packing foam?) underneath would be a bit more realistic.

[Adama Ajames]

Hello All i thought id quickly chip in , I think the skin is OK as long as they definitely sort the paint issue out. Also i have two things id like to say ones not my idea but i think it is a must !!

Firstly invo talk about pleo as a campanion , a life form , but i find it hard to see pleo like that when every hour i have to remove a chunk of his belly to charge him. I think they really should spend some time rethinking up the whole recharging dock scene. I mean pleo is still a toy because of this drawback , hes a expensive highly sophisticated one but in theory he still is.

I mean wouldn't it be sooo cool to look around for pleo and find him sound asleep curled up in a nest themed docking station, They could even make him stretch , twitch an occasionally rumble away. That would hardly drain the battery while charging.

Also this is my idea, why not once they have got pleo charging in a dock , make  a egg shell case that surrounds Pleo they could make it out of plaster of Paris or something, Could you imagine this , walking in a shop buying a pleo then opening the box to find a large egg. Placing it on the docking station. There could be like a delay for the battery to reach full charge then pleo goes through a timed hatching process with chirping , rocking , finally streaching out slowly making holes in the egg shell. I mean that would make it sooo real. They could like operate a re hatching scheme like there re carnation , where you get a new egg but either your pleo is re cased in a egg or his personality is put in a new unhatched one.

Wot you think everyone ??

Adam