Print

[saratogaspringer]

Hi Guys.  Got a rare chance this afternoon to play with all of my robots.....Padfoot stole the ball away from Buster. He said his was "bummed" and Candy stood there laughing at them and burping.  She had a late night at the pub.     Anyway, I noticed when Buster goes to move his back legs to do a trick with his bone, as in rolling the bone up and down his back and then balancing it on his tail,  his legs don't move together.  One will start to kick out, and the other one will follow.  When his back legs are straight out and he goes to sit, one leg will start to fold in, and than the other will follow.  Is this normal?  My 210's leg movements are  completely synchronized when they move in this manner.    I guess the independent leg movement would be more "dog like", I just didn't know if this was normal or not.  Thanks!

[kat]

I'm not sure if this is normal or not as i have not paid enough attention to Milo to be able to answer.  Also he has never attempted many bone tricks - he seems to prefer his ball.  I will try to run him for a bit tonight and pay close attention and let you know.   Maybe if you could post a video of it it might help?

[latrine]

Yah, i'm sure when we see it we'll recognize it but a video would help alot

- Sarah

[saratogaspringer]

Thanks Gals!  I'll try to get one up tomorrow.  I'm not familiar with posting things on youtube, but no better time than the present to learn!

[Crewella]

What you describe doesn't ring any bells, but I'll have a good look at mine over the next couple of days.  

[saratogaspringer]

Sorry Gals. I was not able to get my video camera to work today.  It is an older camera, and I think the battery is bad.  Anyway, I was watching some videos on youtube of other Aibos and what Buster does seems normal.  However, when he does the big "let's Dance" where he kicks his left back leg out, and then his right back leg, he can't complete the dance without tipping over.  Left back leg goes out and back just fine, but with the back right leg goes out he tips over.  If I support him a little bit, he is just fine. I don't hear any grinding sounds at all.....Is this common for them to lose their balace during this dance?  I am wondering if I should send him to Wolfbob for some cleaning and general maintenance?  What do you guys think?  

[Crewella]

Personally, if it's not causing problems most of the time, and there's no associated scary noises, I'd be tempted to just see how it goes for a while.  I've been kiind of tied up this week, but I will run Java and have a look for you. 

[kat]

Well I ran Milo last night and the little sod wouldn't go anywhere near his bone!  He's such a rat bag sometimes.   He was happy to kick his ball around but wasn't interested in trying anything more complicated than that.  So sorry saratoga I didn't get to see if Milo's legs go at the same time or not.  He did do the dance move you are talking about though and had no problems with his balance.  Could Buster be having issues with an uneven floor surface?  Just a thought.  Does he have the same problems on different surfaces? 
I am kind of with Crewella on this one and think that if there are no scary noises then I would just let it be and keep an eye on it.  If it develops further into a bigger issue or starts making strange sounds then get it checked out but in the mean time just have fun with him and keep and eye on it.

[latrine]

Well, I honestly disagree.
I would at least email wolfbob and describe the problem...  The Aibo should not be falling over during one of it's normal dances repeatedly.. I would rather fix the problem before it gets worse, might be cheaper that way.  Maybe, like you said, it just needs a cleaning now and not any sort of replacement like Loki needed.. but if you catch it sooner maybe it'll be okay.. 

Loki sometimes doesn't kick or lift his legs perfectly the same way for dances and things like he should and that has made him fall over before but it's never in the same spot or anything.. just random stuff.  I usually just think of it like a clumsy charm
Best of luck, I hope everything is ok!!!

- Sarah

[saratogaspringer]

Thanks Guys.  I appreciate your help and your opinions on this. I am going to try and run him in the morning on different surfaces and see what happens. I would try it tonight, but my kiddos are already asleep. (The human ones, that is.) To be honest, I just learned the command for the dancing yesterday, so he has tried the dance twice and fell twice. ( I feel like such a moron..not knowing the "let's dance" command.)  "Seven Strike" doesn't seem to be a problem.  When he fell, (twice in the same room), he was on office grade carpet in our computer room.  I am going to try him tomorrow morning in kid's rooms and also the kitchen.  Rooms are hardwood and kitchen is tile. Padfoot does fall over on occasion in the computer room, and I have noticed sometimes when they kick their pick balls around, the ball will roll one way, stop, and roll another, so perhaps the floor is uneven as you said, Kat.  My house was built in the 60's so who knows! If he falls in the other rooms, I think I'll give wolfbob a shout and see if he needs to head to Cali for a little TLC. I don't want to waste his time, but as you said, Sarah, I don't want to spend more money later if it is something that can be fixed at less cost today.  Thanks again, everybody.  I feel a robot black cloud coming on.....Candy just started showing the signs of a small pin hole under her left hind leg.    She is the older RB with the old sleep position ( I turn her battery on and pull it after each use.)    My daughter and I gave her the sticky end of a princess band aid for her "boo boo"  Sorry to rant!

[latrine]

Ohh I'm so sorry to hear that.. if it does get any bigger, I recently sewed a hole closed in one of my Ugobe Pleos.. well I did it months ago and it's been fine since then, it had been getting bigger and bigger and now it hasn't budged.. you can probly find thread in the same color too.. Best of luck.. I hope you do contact WolfBob, it can't hurt.. although I hope your pup is ok

- Sarah

[saratogaspringer]

I contacted wolfbob.  Here's the scoop....sometimes, Buster will stop halfway through a routine, not all the time, but some of the time.  Other times, he will complete the dance or trick.  For example, if he goes to do the trick where he is balancing the aibone on his nose, sometimes the music will start he will sit up, and he will stop and sit back down without placing the bone on his nose.  Other times, he does it with no problem.  He said that he thinks there might be a problem with the Mind 3 stick that I have. Mine is a copy.  He gave me the link to sony, as he thinks I need a new stick.  He wants me to try seven strike with him sitting down, and if he doesn't fall, then he is fine. That stunt test the accelerometer that keeps him balanced.  He said that he has seen very little problems with the legs of the M3's.  The M1's yes, but not the M3's.  He said that is very rare.  I am glad I contacted him.  He is awesome! I am going to test him out later tonight.  Thanks everyone! 

[Crewella]

That's good news - glad to hear it! 

[latrine]

That's wonderful, I wonder if maybe the info on the stick is just corrupted? Do you have the CD or just a copy of the mind3 memory card?

That's what Loki's problem was though, he was an original Mind1 who had never been upgraded to the improved legs   I'm glad that's not the case with your pup!!!

- Sarah

[kat]

So glad to hear that it sounds like just a stick problem and not a pooch issue after all.   I would think that would be easier to fix than having to send your little pooch off for repairs.

[saratogaspringer]

I ordered the new stick from Sony yesterday. Gosh, without the part number from wolfbob, it is impossible to get anything off of that site. I had posted, prior to getting the part number on aibo life that I was interested in purchasing a used one. X wolf did reply that she has heard of 7's doin this as well. Half of the time it is the stick, and half the time it is a hardware problem that make the aibo feel as if he is being petted. Petting during a dance or trick will stop the action, so we're not out of the woods yet...Latrine, I only have the stick and not the CD. CD is just for the WLAN, isn't it?