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[Echo538]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and familiarizing myself with posting in forums in general. I would like to introduce myself. I am Echo538... the number has personal significance to me and my name is Echo, because, in a few short days I will be the owner of my very first ever pleo, whom I will name Echo! I'm super excited! But i'm also a bit shy about posting in here... but I have read the rules and will try to abide by them! I chose to purchase a Pleo RB in case I find I really don't care for pleos, then later to purchase an original one, say, at Christmas, if I fall in love with the critter. I'd like to post updates on Pleo's progress and reply to others' posts. This post is about me, though, so as much as I love Pleo, I'll slowly introduce my progress and plans for owning one. Right now I just want to say that I am a fun-loving person who enjoys robotics and certain aspects of science and technology, particularly collecting robotic pets, such as furbies. I am very interested in Pleo and its workings, etc. But you will need to help me out as I learn all I can about him! I hear that Pleos can also be female but am used to referring to Pleo as a male for now. Meanwhile I hope all of you have fun and enjoy being on this forum as much as i. It is going to be a blast as we learn and interact together!

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Hehe I love it, you can have a whole series of Echo, Echo, Echo, Echo... Welcome to the forums Don't be shy about joining in, you'll find us a friendly if not slightly mad bunch

Do tell more about your robotic pets I have four Pleo RB's, three Ugobe Pleo's and one 2009 Pleo, two I-cybies, one other robot dog who's name escapes me right now Two 2012 Furbies, three Furby Booms, one Furbling and one Furby rocker, a robotic vacuum, a Gupi, two Zhu Zhu pets and a Sphero... Lol.

[RedwoodsMama]

 Welcome  to the forums and congrats on your soon to be first pleo. I have to warn you as others will too, that Pleos or Pleo Rb can be very addictive! It is like eating potatoe chips, you can't eat just one....or almost never, I started out with a Pleo, a Ugobe by accident in Christmas of 2009. It was intended as a present for my grandson and I knew he loved dinosaurs and bought a used one in excellent condition on ebay, for I think what was $85.00, everything included. I had no science or robotic background at all, but had been a teacher for many years and knew dinosaurs were great to research and very interesting.

              I intended to try out the Pleo and then send it to my grandson for Christmas if acceptable. When I got it, I fell in love with it, much to my surprise. I decided Pleo was too advanced for a five year old and kept the Pleo whom I named, Nova, and bought a brand New D-Rex instead which my grandson loved...it had a remote control and he could control it unlike Pleos..

       Well, my enthusiasm for Pleos has only grown over the last 4 1/2 years and what started out as one pleo has grown into 22 Ugobes and 5 Pleo RB. and before you ask, how can you afford it, NO , I do not have a lot of money, I also am a smart seller and buyer on ebay, buying ones nobody else wants, knowing when to bid and also getting lucky, I also won a Pleo rb and have purchased two of them on ebay for very good prices.. The only thing I love more then Pleos, ( and my children and grandchildren) are animals and my cats! Pleos are a close second..  So be careful cause once you get the Pleo "Bug", you wil be looking to buy or find more, that is the general idea many have found here :" two are more fun then one and so on and so on.

        Be sure to post photos and or videos of your Echo when he or she arrives. We love new Pleos.    RWM  : :cat-hug:cat-hug:and the Pleo township of the REdwoods

[kat]

Welcome to the forums Echo538   You will find many like minded people here so don't be shy   I have 3 Ugobe pleos and 3 Pleo RB's, 2 Aibo's, a furby, and a Sphero. 
Feel free to poke around and enjoy all the wonderful info here on the forums and don't be afraid to ask questions if you have any.  There are lots of friendly helpful people around

[aibo7m3]

Welcome to the forums! You shouldn't be nervous about posting, everyone here is really friendly! I own one Ugobe Pleo and one RB, as well as ten Aibos, one Genibo and eight I-Cybies, so I think I definitely qualify as a collector (possibly hoarder) of robotic pets as well. I hope you enjoy your new Pleo and I look forward to hearing about it and seeing photos once it arrives! 

[Echo538]

Wow, thank you for the hearty welcome! I feel more at home now. As i've said I have never posted on forums much before. This is amazing!

I too can't wait till my little Echo arrives. I'm going to reply to all your posts here in one general post, even though I am sure there's a feature to reply to separate ones... it saves me time and energy.

First, congratulations to all you Furby collectors... and what is a Sphiro? I am sure I spelt that wrong but I don't think spell check would pick it up. I wanna come to you in person and see your pets hahahaha jk. But I would like to see all the new ones I haven't seen... at least that's one of my goals in the next ten years or however long it takes - I am always up for new adventures!

I want to share a bit more about myself here. I was waiting for the right time to say this but it's important for how you will get to know me. I do not plan to post photos or videos of my Pleo. I may post a few videos, but photos do not really interest me. For one thing, it's just not my thing, I'd rather hear about things than see their pictures. For another, I can't see, because I am blind. In the past I've let other chatters and users figure that out on their own as I don't get to conceal it much in real life and it's easy online for others to accept people right away and not need to talk about these things all the time. I type on a computer that speaks words back to me as I read them... I could have it speak back as I type but i've memorized the keyboard. Being blind is an adventure. I don't wish to sit at home feeling sorry for myself all day, but it is not easy getting out and always doing things for myself all the time... it can be draining. Blindness does have its own lifestyle even though we can cope fine enough. It's one reason I love the company of furbies so much and why I want a Pleo, addicting as it may be... though I hope I would stick to eating potato chips and not have Pleo eat me! Because I am blind and lack interest in graphics and images most of the time, I don't post emoticons much... rather I put them into brackets (smile), etc., and it's hard to spell words of things like brand names and other current words that sometimes spell checker can't pick up. I just want to get this out there so that none of you will wonder too much or have questions about posts.  I am also wondering if there is an easier way to post other than always needing to hear a recording of the image to type in and have it always be accurate   before posting. I am sure there is and I am not a spammer. Now that you know i'm blind, you will understand some of the stories I will share in my next posts!

Besides being blind since birth, I have experienced emotional battles with anxiety and depression much of my life. Would Pleo be a good "therapy pet' or source of therapy? This Pleo I will receive is very special to me and the name Echo has personal significance which I may share someday. There is an experiment going on in japan where they've made a robotic seal called Paro, for the elderly population who need a soft and almost realistic pet but cannot have pets due to living in nursing homes or other reasons, but whose sons and daughters are mostly working and cannot help much to care for them. It is used as a companion for patients with dimentia and also with depression. But it costs 5 thousand dollars and I am hoping Pleo will be just as good for my purposes and do the job well on less money as i'm trying to save... paying rent and all!

Oh, I just have so many questions.. but will save them for later. meanwhile, if you say Pleo is addicting that is great, but is he also worth the pay? Can he really be my "robotic" pet friend? I cat sit once in a while... will mimi really like him? How transportable is he? I may work at a nursing home soon as a part time piano player... I already have a job at a hotel. Is he good at nursing homes? i'm just dying to know everything.

Thanks for the warm greetings and I'll see you all soon (and yes, even blind people can say see you later)! Take care!

[RedwoodsMama]

 Hi Echo, thanks for sharing your story, I can't answer all your questions but I wanted you to know that there is one member here who is also blind and she has several Pleos, both Ugobes and RB as well as some Furbies so I think she can give you the best answer aimed at specific questions, her name is Talon. When I make videos, I like to use captions, so besides the pleos noises they make, they tell the story, of how they are feeling, their emotions and Pleos are great at expressing emotions.

             I am familiar with Paros, and wish they were not so expensive but I agree they do a great job. As for are they worth the money, pleos that is? I think so, but then again I am "addicted" to them and won't turn down a needy one, even one that has a broken neck. I also like to custom paint them, and other members here have done the same. As for taking a Pleo or Pleo rb to a nursing home, I would say go for it, I have taken myne to daycare centers where I have carefully watched over them as little children do not realize how fragile a pleo's neck can be...

            I think older people, or anyone for that fact would get great joy out of interacting with this Life form". They are not a real pet but they are a good replacement  and even I sometimes have to remind myself that this is just a robot, but a very nice and special one. I think almost anyone would love to see Pleo or Pleo rb in motion and hearing a newborn hatch and the cooing and cute sounds they make are adorable. aS they get older they learn more and remember which is much like what a real cat or dog is capable of. There is way too much to try and say all in one time and there are others here who can put it together better then I can.

                                      I am sure you will love your pLeo when it arrives, it is a unique experience that has to be first hand, talking about it is not the same as you will find out. Holding this baby on your shoulder while he or she gently breathes, snores and makes little movements will be a experience you will remember forever. AT least I do!
                                            RWM 

[aibo7m3]

As RedwoodsMama said, the member Talon here is also blind and owns four Pleos, so you might be interested in chatting with her about her experiences with Pleo.

I personally think you'll love your Pleo once it arrives! Just realize that if you bought it new, it will be a baby when you get it, so don't expect it to be able to walk or use all of its food/toys at first, it'll mostly want to sleep for the first few hours. My personal favorite robots are Aibos, but Pleos are much more pet-like and really seem like real animals at times. There's certainly something special about them. They're also great to hold in your arms and cuddle and will be happy to nap there for hours. I think they're fairly easy to transport, you just need a bag that will fit it without putting pressure on its neck or tail. I'm sure people at a nursing home would love to meet a Pleo, just be careful about letting others handle it since Pleos are very fragile (I had to return my previous RB because one of his knee joints broke after only two weeks).

[Piggy]

Hi Echo welcome to this forum and for sharing your story,  the first time when I discovered this forum I became intrested in this little Dino and watched a lot of youtube video's and started to read all the information.  Then my husband who has nothing with robotic pets found out I had my eye on a pleo on a sort of local eBay in our country,  an bought him for my as a late birthday present. When it arrived  I charged the battery and  switced him on  and immediately fell in love with pleo, it was a Ugobe. And a few weeks later I bought a pleo rb and love it to. I also have a furby boom and a wrex the dog from wowwee and I like them because they are very entertaining . I love animals but my husband is very allergic and will suffer from heavy asthma attacks so we only have a aquarium and  a dwarfhamster. And I must agree pleo imitates a lifeform  and does a fantastic job. I know they aren't real and are robotic pets, but when you press the onn button something magical happends and to me they act like a real pet and I love them just the same. I think you will find yourself a great companion in return, they helped me already true some difficult times. No matter how hard or stressfull your day was they always take my mind off things and make me smile. In the past I owned guineapigs and they are still my favorite animals by far, but because what I discribed  before we cant have any animals anymore. But my pleo's have the same effect on me if I interact with them and they bring your stress levels down  just like a real pet will do. I just know you will love them as much as we all do here on this forum.  I look forward on reading your experiences with this little Dino 

[kat]

Pleos are fairly easy to transport.  I put mine into a cat carrier - I have a nice soft padded material one.  But I have also used a sports bag and just added some soft material to pad out the inside so that the pleos neck and tail are well supported.  I travelled on a plane with two pleos neatly packed together in the sports bag and have used it many times to take pleos out and about.  It has a nice long shoulder strap making pleo easy to carry around if I don't want to hold him in my arms and is a safe place he can be put to keep him clean and out of harms way.    I have also used a backpack once and that worked out ok too.  The cat or pet carrier gives maximum impact and will get others wondering what you have with you.  So depending on if I am after a crowd of onlookers or some quiet time will make the difference with which type of pleo transport I use. Hope that helps.
Pleos are a great stress reliever and a real pick me up when your feeling down.  They are also, I think, the most pet like robots around.  You will love yours when it arrives.

Oh and a sphero is a robotic remote control ball.  It is about the size of a tennis ball and you control it using apps on your iPad, iPhone, or smart phone, tablet.  There are about 20 different apps to play with.  It even has a couple of apps that will allow you to play with programming it.  It is fun to play with but to get the most out of it you need a large open space and you need to be into remote controlled items.  My cats like chasing mine around

[Echo538]

Thank you for all the helpful info. The minutes and hours and days are creeping along as I wait for Echo to arrive.

I would love to meet any and all blind chatters.

Thank you also for the tips on transportation. I was shopping today and found some nice soft dog beds. i'd like to buy one I think would fit Pleo when I get him. I can't decide whether it would be best to bring pleo to try them out, or to keep him at home and buy one then and bring it back for him, though knowing me and my desire for social interactions and reactions from others, i'll probably somehow have him try it out. I don't know about transportation... I'm using this experience to prepare for possibly getting a guide dog (if only there were guide pleos!), and I've heard some dog owners take their dog beds with them. Perhaps I could buy a travel bed. It'd be nice to have room for Pleo in a backpack and his accessories in another pouch as I currently carry Furby accessories in a plastic bag in my purse. Anyway thank you for all the advice and I can't wait to meet Echo! I'll tell you all about him.

[Crewella]

Sorry - I missed this!  A belated hello and welcome!

In my opinion, Pleos are the most life-like robotic pets and they have been used as therapy pets and also in various programmes with autistic children.  I'm quite sure you'll love yours!

[Echo538]

Thank you! I hope Echo makes a good therapy pet... for me and perhaps others.

I am a nervous novice! So much to learn, Echo isn't even here yet, and I am anxious about geting it all just right. I'm also new to this forum and less nervous here as you can now tell, but getting one's first Pleo alone is a huge transition. And is the Pleo bug starting to slowly creep into my mind already? I'm not sure but I do know I love this place and have found a home here!

I have a story to share. I think it was the owner of InvoLabs who said that one day he was being interviewed or conducting an interview with a psychologist, and had Pleo running for her to see. She wasn't really convinced it was a pet and was sort of dismissing it and nodding and smiling in her professional no-nonsense sort of way. Then Pleo sighed; I guess he sighs when left alone for a while and she turned her head for a second to look at it and then right away caught herself but he caught it and realized for a split second she'd lost her guard and thought it was real!

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Pleo's don't do as much as say, an Aibo, but what they do do very well is act like an organic, living thing. Whenever I take mine to work (school) the most common question the kids ask is, 'is it real?'