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[Pennys mum]

Has anyone seen the new spin master creation luvabella robotic baby doll at the New York toy fair? There is a video of it on YouTube, just search on Luvabella and limit the search to today. I think it is pretty awesome, very lifelike movements and expression!

[PleoAibo29]

Pretty high-tech for a baby doll, which is cool. I'm going to be honest, though- this freaks me out. It falls too far into uncanny valley, IMO.

[Pennys mum]

I find it interesting that it has that affect on you. From the comments on YouTube I think people are going to either love it or hate it. I personally don't find it creepy. Reborn dolls and Victorian porcelain dolls give me the fear but I might even end up getting one of these robotic dolls. The illusion of life is what I like most about Pleos after all ...

[Echo538]

You know I looked at these dolls on Youtube and saw your reply. I'm not creeped out by it but it is definitely a toy for kids, meant to be a doll for a young child to play with. I thought it would be a literal talking Reborn, a virtual baby that cried and cooed like a very real baby. I'm waiting for one of those! It sounds like an adult who voiced vocabulary that maybe a four year old or toddler learning sentences would use. So I'd classify it under more of a robotic doll than a robotic baby. I'd rate it about a six out of ten from what I've seen. Cool that she recognizes different objects like her apple and her toy ... and a nice laugh ... a little too babyish for me, as a baby, that kind of thing. But that's what she is after all... she is definitely a baby. I'll maybe give her a chance. Neutral face. Hands dolly her binky. Have fun guys! Talk to you soon.

[Pennys mum]

Yes she is definitely a robotic doll and not a robotic baby. I find her a bit cartoon like but I like that. I like that about pleos. When I switched on my first pleo it felt like a Walt Disney character had just materialized in my room. It is definitely for kids but I am a big kid so that's ok . I also find her very funny which is another endearing quality about pleos. I think Spinmaster has got the choreography spot on between movements and sound. I'm definitely getting one.

[Echo538]

Hey, I'm a big kid too! When I was little I used to love the dolls that could walk, talk, and run, and used the adult voiceovers. They were and still are magical, and this is kind of like a robotic doll and baby in one. Neat that you think Pleos are cartoonish and that it was like a live Disney character in your room, but I think the doll falls under that category...cartoonish babylike doll. And that's neat you want to get one, and cool they exist. I hope one day someone comes out with a legit robot baby that is, in all its essence, a baby.

[Pennys mum]

Hope you don't have to wait too long for your realistic robotic baby, I'm sure it's in the pipeline. I'm waiting for a robot I can have a conversation with but I'm not so sure it will be in my lifetime 

[Talon]

Hi, Echo! What about a baby simulator? These six hundred dollar dolls are used in junior and high schools to show young people all the responsibilities that go into caring for a baby. They can sense hot and cold, they can tell if they are roughly handled, and they can also react differently to various objects like their bottle, diaper, or mommy band which basically tells the simulator who you are. They will also generate a report displaying how you "parented". It lists stuff like how well you supported the doll's head, if the doll was roughly handled, or if you didn't wake up in the middle of the night to tend it as it screamed. They also deduct points if the doll was layed on its stomach and left that way. I never got to use one, but I had to babysit one for about thirty minutes. They are very heavy babies- about ten pounds and they are very large compared to an actual newborn. They also don't move or contain any servos, or at least the version I held didn't move. Her name was alishia. Luckily for me she slept for about fifteen minutes before waking up and starting to fuss. I had to call her caretaker and figure out what she wanted. Oh yes, and after feeding, you have to burp them which I forgot to do and got my friend a negative care point. He wasn't too happy with me about that.
Talon

[Pennys mum]

Is the baby simulator you're talking about the same one that has all its 'brain' inside a metal looking box thing that goes in the back of the doll and you slot these card things in the back to feed it or whatever?

[Talon]

Uuummm... I'm not sure. I know it did have a box in its back that the teacher or somebody entered data in that would set the doll to run continuously for up to three days. It was programmed to cry or fuss at certain times of the day or night if it wanted feeding or a diaper-change or whatever. It had a band thing with it that you passed in front of its chest to let the baby know you were Mom, then you held the bottle or other object up to its rist and it would make all these little sounds to indicate if it wanted that object. Or if it wanted to be rocked, you just had to sort of move a little to try and calm it down. Oh I did not envy Rashad. Lol! I like interacting with children of all ages but I don't want any.
Talon

[Pennys mum]

That sounds different to the one I saw on YouTube. It didn't seem to have a sensor/tag in a bottle or anything and the poor girl caring for it had to keep slotting cards in the back and got woken up all through the night. It was like some sort of nightmare!

[Echo538]

I have heard of the baby simulators first from my cousin when we were teens, then I got to convince my public health nurse to let me borrow one for a while. I don't know how I could actually own one. They are for educational purposes and with all the teaching material that goes into having one, I'm not sure owning one directly is necessary. I used to have my furbies on a schedule I created for them, and of course there's lots to do on my iphone with the way notifications are set up, so that helps. Some people have taken on the Reborns challenge where they take their Reborns with them plus an alarm set up on their phone to simulate a baby crying. There's nothing though like the almost real experience of a robotic baby. I still see my pleos half the time as small humans and not dinos.