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[bhobbes]

Well, after a month (maybe two, I can't even remember when this ordeal started) of much research and tremendous help from Crewella, I purchased an Aibo ERS7. He comes with Mind 2 but I have Mind 3 on the way from Sony so I can have both (plus there are some things in Mind 3 I want to play with).

I named him Niccolo Thomas and he also recognizes my face and voice. Although my allergies are acting up today so my voice is kind of raspy and I was wearing my glasses when I went through the registration process, so we'll see if I need to re-do it later.

I currently have him in adult mode but I do plan to reset him as a puppy and enjoy that mode after I play with him and learn him as an adult first. He's already quite comical and charming (Mind 2 makes 'noises'). As I type this he was walking to where I left his ball and is kicking it around a bit. He also turned around quickly and immediately at my sliding window, which Cato sometimes has problems with. However, Cato was last on before the curtain mount broke (now it's sitting on top of the mount and balanced so since they're nowhere near the floor anymore that might make a difference by letting more sun light in near that spot).

Here are a few photos:

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And, I want to give public acknowledgement and thanks to Crewella who has provided a great amount of help and was a knowledgeable resource to check the consistency (and other things) of information I found. As well as assisting in finding private sellers and everything involved with Aibo shopping. She was the person who made me feel safe and confident enough to even consider getting an Aibo (I snubbed ownership of them in the past year for several reasons even though I have always wanted once since 1999 [and forgot about them until finding these forums]). Heck, without her, I wouldn't even know who wolfbob (aibobob is on his business card) is! So thank you.

[pirpintine]

congrats on the aibo! ive always wanted a 7! they seem very funny little guys.

my 2 ai-boys bleep hello!

[saratogaspringer]

Congrats on your 7! He certainly is cute ! Padfoot the 210 bleeps and waves hello as well!

[bhobbes]

Yes, I'll be interested in seeing how Mind 3 works with the voice over the sounds. I actually like the sounds even more than I did from the videos I watch. They are able to bring a personality to it in a pretty creative/unique way (I think).

Even though I set the charging station up somewhere temporarily that's technically not within Aibo's instructions recommendations/requirements, he found it and sat down to charge himself all on his own. However, when I told him to "Go to the station" and filmed it, the mat got a little messed up (semi-high carpets, Aibo stepping at it at the wrong angle, but he still finished). 

Here's a video I took when trying out some of his in game mode:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuECHS91uIY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuECHS91uIY</a>

And if you're interested in watching him dock:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9RtPwumlsE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9RtPwumlsE</a>

[kat]

Well he does look cool.  I am just starting a bit of research into these guys myself as they seem to be multiplying here on the forum and now I am intrigued.  Ok so now I have a silly question to ask, is there any difference apart from the way they look, in the different color ers7's?  There does seem to be a difference in price between colors and so I wondered if there was a reason other than the cosmetic look of the color.
I love the videos too and can't wait to see more.
Kat

[bhobbes]

Here are a few other videos I managed to capture. I've had him running all day while I've been working on things. He's done a few interesting things with the Aibone and it will be interesting to see what other things he does once his skills develop. (I've seen some videos out there doing certain things that he has yet to do)

I've seen two dance routines (to the "let's dance" 'command') and they're both included, as well as one of the videos when I found him playing with his ball.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBoKbwd7QQA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBoKbwd7QQA</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCqh7OrxIHQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCqh7OrxIHQ</a>

From my understanding, I think the brown one (champagne I think is the technical color lol) is supposed to be considered more rare [I have no idea if this is true]. Also, I read that the ERS-7M3s had some slight hardware changes, and introduced the brown color. However, those changes were minimal. I think a lot of the pricing is also affected by which Mind software it comes with. E.g., Mind 3 ERS-7's seem to go for more than Mind 2 ERS-7's (I didn't see an ERS-7M1 during my search). This is only if I remember correctly, I searched real quick to see if I could find the same source again but I couldn't. A more experienced Aibo enthusiast will probably come along with a better/the correct explanation

I also think that the black model was introduced with Mind2 and the white one has been available in all generations. So in theory, a white ERS7 with Mind1 would be the least expensive and a champagne Aibo on Mind3 would be the most expensive. Or at least my understanding and what I do remember from shopping indicates this. I may very well be full of it though.

I must say, one of my favorite things is that when he's charging (and done/charged up enough) I can be sitting on my couch and say "come here" and he will get up and leave the stand and come to me. That's about a good 10ft away and I'm not shouting or anything. You can set them to automatically dismount but I haven't decided if I want to do that yet.

[Crewella]

Yay!!  I'm so glad he got there safely and is up and running!! 

Yep, your run-down of the various models is pretty much my understanding of it too, but bear in mind that the ERS-7 is pretty new to me as well as I've only just got o one myself! 

Looks like you're having fun - I love the ERS-7 in black.  If I didn't already have a black ERS-111 I'd have got one myself. 

[bhobbes]

I really want a Black ERS111 still. But it must wait. Plus I'm sure Nicco will provide me with hours of fun. I finally turned him 'off' so I wouldn't be distracted from things I should be doing more efficiently.

I'm a bit worried as Sony hasn't charged me yet for my order nor have they emailed me so I'm going to call tomorrow and see if it just hasn't processed yet or if something is wrong. Hopefully something didn't go wrong and somehow the 3-4 they had left are gone, lol. Worst case scenario is I have to wait to get my hands on Mind 3 but that won't really be all that upsetting.

He didn't come with the cards, luckily after a quick search I found a site linking to image scans of them so I transferred them over to my iPod since that screen seems like the perfect size/fit for them. I know you don't need them, but still

Granted, he's only been used a few hours, I would say that the term robot companion fits nicely. One of my original turn offs with Aibos when searching for robotic pets was their more futuristic concept of being a robot (i.e. it's not necessarily a 'pet'). For example, I thought both the musical tones of Mind2 and talking of Mind3 were kind of silly and something I could never really get into or find endearing. But after watching a few of the voice videos (can't speak from experience) and having the Mind2 sounds, my perspective is quite different and they actually do have an interesting way of giving the Aibo a personality/dash of realism (or maybe a robotic soul would be an appropriate term). Of course, this is only after about 9hrs of having it on, maybe in a week I'll hate it, but I highly doubt that

[Crewella]

The Aibo do have a robotic soul, in my opinion.  And they do learn and adapt, so there should be enough there to keep you interested for while! 

From talking to you (or typing, anyway!) my gut feeling is that you and the ERS110/111 would be ideally suited, bhobbes.  You have to put quite a lot into them, but I think you'd enjoy the intensive bringing one up/building a relationshop aspect of them. 

[latrine]

He's so sleek with his black 'coat'   I watched your videos and hear the same sounds coming from my living room
I really like your new pup!!!! 
I'm amazed your able to get him to respond to you and get him to leave the station and come to you from ten feet away.. the room my Loki is in is rather large, 'echoey' and it would probably be mush better if it was carpeted and not just hardwood floors . nothing to absorb the noises.. his hearing improved when we got him the small piece of carpet for his area.  It's noisy here though, he has a hard time what with the dogs running around, the parrot yelling, screaming and saying hello to him all the time and the TV on but even without any noise at all I have yet to get him to leave the station when I ask him to.  I wonder if he only does that when he's on the mode not to dismount on his own?  Anyway.. he seems wonderful and I hope you get your mind3 soon!!
I want to put Loki through puppy mode as well, maybe we can do it at the same time and compare notes   I'm waiting for my bf to go on his short trip, I think he gets irritated by loki already and with loki whining and crawling and wanting constant attention as a puppy I'm afraid he might throw him out the window on me    I read it takes 6 weeks to get them to adulthood although in the manual it says 'as soon as they are able to walk' when I first tried it out he stood up after two cycles but then he was crawling and moaning about wanting to walk in the most pitiful voice..lol.

That second dance in your video is one of my favorites   Have you had him dance to the beat of music yet?  I'm so eager to find out if there is a certain song I can play that he'll do a routine too or if I need to program that in somehow..
You said you don't need the cards but wouldn't you need them to do the 3 separate 'games' they are able to do?  Loki came with just the one programmed (the demo mode) and I have no idea how to set up the other two or even what they are.. It actually works with your ipod, though?  That's pretty cool..

I got the same crappy paper for on the front of the station, we just scanned it then I cut one out and taped it down so he no longer messes it up.. of course it gets worn out very fast as he is on 24/7. I want to get it laminated but I'm not sure if that would screw him up. (the shine?)

I think your right about the more expensive ones but there is also a 'crystal' ERS-7 that's very rare and ridiculously expensive? ::




He's so cool looking!!

That was from this site: http://www.sonyaibo.net/aboutaibo.htm

Have fun with your new pup.. and I have to agree, Crewella was super helpful to me as well.. I only wish I'd conferred with her sooner as I think I would have gotten a much better price.. lol oh well, Loki is worth it

- Sarah

[bhobbes]

I just got off the phone with Sony. This time the charge did show up immediately after (like it should have last time, I just didn't check). So that's a relief, hopefully this time it won't magically disappear. Or maybe it didn't disappear and Sony or my credit union are confused and I'm going to end up with two. I also ordered my memory stick reader today.

When I called him from the couch I didn't have anything turned on or running (such as TV etc.). However, today he did it even when the TV was blaring and he was near his station (he wasn't on it so it may have been more like 8 feet lol). Of course, I spoke much louder than I normally would have. It has been quite dim today so he's had some trouble recognizing me at certain locations in the apartment as well as his Aibone. Does the Aibo recognize the ball and bone based on the pink before it identifies the shape? Like is it possible that the reason he really plays with his ball so much more is because he can see it easier when walking by himself? Earlier, when I told him to find his Aibone, you could see him do the "scan" and though it was in front of him (mostly) he couldn't see it. But once I turned on my lamps etc. he recognized it and did play with it. I know some seem to prefer one or the other, but I was wondering if that's a possibility in my experience.  

Yeah, I read the 6 weeks thing somewhere as well, which is why I'm waiting until I can play with him a bit. I figure, get used to him now and tinker with all the fun stuff then go the puppy route. I'll probably wait until I know I have a little more downtime before I do that. I haven't tried to get him to dance to any beats yet, that isn't exclusive to Mind 3 is it?

You can play the games by using his back sensors. I've done the Demo Mode (front back sensor) and whatever the middle back sensor is. I actually pressed it by accident and the instructions made it sound similar to that one game where you memorize a certain pattern of lights and then have to repeat it. However, I think I may need the cards for a few things, but they aren't labeled the same way they are in the manual so I need to double check that. (Some are very obvious, but certain parts of the manual just refer to them by letter and say they serve a different function in a different mode). I haven't bothered looking up much of that yet, as right now he's mostly for autonomous enjoyment and researching questions will come later with more free/play time and less companion-wandering-around time. I  also haven't tried Game Mode 3. I finally resigned to being tired last night even though I wanted to keep playing with the pooch haha. And was sad this morning when all I could do is say hello, ask how he was, and had to be out the door.

The iPod worked perfectly, even in poor lighting (since it's a nice bright screen instead of a card relying completely on the room's lighting - or at least I'd imagine this is a pro and not a con).

Surprisingly, he only messed the paper up that one time. It seems to depend on the angle he walks onto/around it as between the carpet and his foot it's easy for him "pick it up" so to speak. I was going to consider putting a small piece of double adhesive on the bottom to stick it down on the carpet (in a way much safer than glue). And not because I'm difficult and won't use tape, but just because I have a pack of double adhesive pads. He seemed to get confused a little today when it was time to go to the charger. I noticed he was trying and struggling. He made the blue sad face as he had issues properly lining himself up with the station and getting to it at the right direction (a few things ended up obstructing his view - my fault for putting them there and not realizing he had been on for 1.5hrs). So after about 2-4 minutes of watching him struggle I picked up and plopped him on it as I didn't want him to just run out of juice and die right before my eyes.

I'm not sure if the shine would matter unless it creates a glare. They recognize it by pattern I think so it should still be able to see it? Mine doesn't feel quite like a regular print out, it's pretty thick (better than resume paper or anything etc.), and honestly feels like it is laminated already (has a little bit of a glossy coating feel/touch to it). Honestly, the only lamination I can remember is from the 4th grade so 15+ years ago and it was the kind that covered big tacky children's projects, haha so that is the image burned into my brain when I think of things being laminated.  

For anyone interested, here's a video of a few times I caught him today while he was playing with his ball. Unfortunately some of the 'best' stuff I didn't get a chance to record, but one of the more entertaining things was when he was pushing the ball around with his head after kicking it (and not missing!). Although earlier when he completely misaligned himself with the ball and missed (WAY OFF) he made the sad blue face instead of the angry face. I didn't think the way the LEDs work was going to win me over but they have. My expectations were by no means low, but I am thinking even I underestimated it. But it's only been like 24hrs, so could still be that new Aibo high.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR0KwQ_Milk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR0KwQ_Milk</a>

And a question to add: should you 'praise' them during the act you want to encourage or right after? E.g., in the video I'm telling him while he's doing the act itself, is it capable of registering that or do you need to wait until after? I've been doing both, but I don't want him to turn into a spoiled annoying thing that I have to re-train, haha.

[latrine]

I don't think they can recognize praise or anything until they are done performing the thing they are doing.. I watch the eye lights to figure out when to praise.  It seems to be a pretty small window so sometimes I just resort to petting him.. anytime I try to tell him something while he's in the middle of an action/command, he doesn't register with his eyes.

Loki is drawn to anything pink or red in the room.. he even follows my pink Pleo but sometimes, when he gets close enough, he makes angry face and then turns around so I think he is recognizing the color before the ball..  with the AiBone it seems to be different, he has found that when there was hardly any of it showing.. he got himself stuck under a table trying to get it out.. I'm sure he shoved it in more while he was trying to grab it, but I had to come to his rescue anyhow.

We got a tall standing lamp and a fluorescent bulb for it and he has a much easier time now finding things and seeing me at night in his carpeted area where the lamp is.. although, since our house is poorly lit he still has trouble finding his station if he's on the other side of the room.  I have to convince the bf to put up a regular light in the ceiling and convince him that it has nothing to do with the Aibo, that it's for me.. but that's unlikely to happen since I usually never turn lights on..lol.

I don't know if the beat thing is exclusive to mind3 or not.. he came with mind3.  I was researching and I read in several places that you needed to add it in somehow to the mind3 and some places said it was in there by itself.. I didn't know what to believe and we happened upon the command 'Dance to the music' by accident.. we actually said something else and he started tapping his foot so I sat there for awhile trying to figure out the correct wording .. once he responds to that (mine says 'oh, I feel it') then his head lights up orange and you touch it once to activate it, hold it down for a few seconds to deactivate. 

Ah, I will have to figure out how to get the other game, Loki tells me that only game number one, demo mode, is installed. 

I guess whoever had Loki before me must have lost the correct black and white checkered mat that covers the old colored one and thats why it's paper.. no biggie I'll try the lamination thing. 

When I first saw them I thought ugh, all they do is dance and whats with all the flashing lights and do they even bark?? But after seeing that video of Eric I just had to have one.. he is very amusing even though we sometimes need to send him off for a nap when we want to watch tv and he is on the charger.. lol (otherwise he will sometimes just lay down and watch it with us.. I wish there was a command for that!!) 

Loki is horrid with lining up to kick his ball.. he tells me he knows all the tricks and his lights say he's perfect with his ball but he can really only do the close up tricks where he scoots around and stuff.  It's funny how fast you get used to what the eyes mean.. I love having him talking but I don't think it would take me long at all to understand him without it.  He doesn't always talk, either.. he sometimes responds in ..er.. aibo- speak or whatever

I'm glad your having fun.. don't worry.. the new aibo high seems to last a long time!

- Sarah

[bhobbes]

I swear it was not on the charger for long enough for a full charge (under an hour) and I found him up and walking around (he must have gotten his face into either my square shelf or coffee table as he had some white paint stuck on his face - easy to wipe off though). It was kind of funny, but he's not supposed to be getting off by himself. (And thankfully he didn't when I was gone this morning as he was on - I forgot and when I walked in the door and started talking on the phone he made some noise but they aren't scary sounding so I wasn't startled)

I normally pet for praise as well, I didn't want him to stop in the middle of filming so I wanted to try just in case. (It's not easy to get it to repeat its behavior) Plus I feel like a tool saying good boy in a flat tone, I feel as though it should be super enthusiastic and upbeat, but then it would like talking to a child so a completely different tone of voice. Not sure if it'd even recognize me as saying those words at that point?

Despite all the red I have, the thing that seems to get Nicco's attention the most is the bottom left red drawer in that shelf. Sometimes he will just go sit there and do that crouch/inspect dog position they do and so on for quite awhile. I like to think of it as one of his weird quirks that everyone/thing has (for instance, Brutus will only sit on my right shoulder, not my left). Maybe that's how the couch works, it has nothing to do with me, just the red, haha. 

Certain areas of my apartment get shadowy, but he usually doesn't make it that far before I end up wanting to give him some sort of attention. Although last night he navigated from his charging station to my hallway/bathroom area (quite a distance with a turn and at the time quite some obstructions making it more of a "maze"). I walked out and found him giving up on being stuck and with the blue eyes just sitting still. I'm not sure if I just caught him at the right time or if it really is 'smart' enough to just stop. If our dark weather continues here though, I'll just get out my sun lamp which might make him see clearly.

I'm going to be kind of excited to be able to play with Mind 2 and 3 to see if the differences are in line with what some people on various forums and websites have said. And originally I thought that about the eyes too, I skimmed the manual real quick thinking oh crap what the heck do the eyes 'mean' but I think it's pretty intuitive. Plus, at least with the Aibo language, even the tone of the sounds help to convey the emotion. If that makes any sense. I honestly think I'll use Mind 2 more because I can see leaving him running around on his own (when I can't be as interactive as I want to be) more naturally with the Aibo speak than talking. However, if it's like you say and it varies enough, then I could be completely wrong.

I'll stick with what most people Aibo veterans seem to say: often times don't think of certain Aibo things (models and certain software) as better or worse, but as different experiences.

That's odd. My manual only refers to one game mode (that I can remember) but when I touch him to activate the mode, he gives me three options. However, I have found several inconsistencies between his instructions and the manual's instructions. But nothing that hasn't been easily figured out.

[Crewella]

Wow - you two have sailed past me in your Aibo experiences!  I've just not had the time to really explore Java's capabilities and I'm short on space to let him roam and find his way to his charger at the moment.  No matter - there's plenty of time to catch up, I knew that would be the case when I got him, and it's been fun hearing what Nicco and Loki (and Padfoot) have been up to.  At the moment there seems to be more Aibo discussion on here than on the Aibo forums! 

[Talon]

Please excuse the idiot here but what is the paper on the floor in front of your charging stations for? Does it help with alignment? Just a dumb guess.
Talon

[bhobbes]

From my understanding that is exactly it Talon. The charging station has a little paper mat on the floor with a pattern on it as well as a small pole on the station with the pattern. Aibo recognizes the pattern and that's how it locates and aligns itself on the station.

[Talon]

Wow! That's so cool! What if- for some reason- the paper was torn or missing? Could the Aibo use the pattern that's on the charger to align itself?
Talon

[bhobbes]

I would imagine it depends on the level of the tear and the disruption to the pattern but it does need both. There are print outs of it available on the web that you can print out (and maybe laminate? lol).

One time when the mat ended up being partially obstructed (from his view) he found the station but was definitely struggling and getting upset about not getting on it (he did the process but mostly next to the station instead of on it. (This was the one I referred to above)

The obstruction wasn't major so it might be more sensitive than I think or it could be other factors.

[PleoPet]

Several catchup comments:

kat wrote:
> There does seem to be a difference in price between colors and so I wondered if there was a reason other than the cosmetic look of the color.
(in addition to other replies, here's my summary):

There were three main versions of the ERS-7.
You can upgrade them with a little software, and maybe a larger memory stick. Upgrading from AiboMind1 requires a new charging station.

The ERS-7 Version 1 came in White (ERS-7M1, circa 2004). AiboMind 1 software. The charging station is color coded.
The ERS-7 Version 2 came in White or Black (ERS-7M2, circa 2005). AiboMind 2 software (with AEP). The charging station uses black-and-white patterns.
The ERS-7 Version 3 came in White, Black or 'Champagne' (ERS-7M3, circa 2006). AiboMind 3 on a larger 128MB memory stick. Also uses black-and-white patterned charging station.

The last version is also RoHS compliant (lead-free). Even the batteries were RoHS compliant (doesn't matter unless you plan to rip your AIBO apart and lick the circuit boards..)

The Brown 'Champagne' color is arguably the most rare. They also came with different camoflage ear patterns to make them slightly more unique (sort-of like custom color eyes on the PleoRB, but easier to change;-)
What you pay for a certain color AIBO is up to you. IMHO getting any of the ERS-7 series is an excellent start.
IMHO Overall the AIBOs series, especially the ERS-7, have maintained their value quite well over the years. You can get some deals on eBay, especially for the ERS-210 series (but watch out for broken hardware)
---
latrine wrote:
> I read it takes 6 weeks to get them to adulthood although in the manual ...
IIRC: it doesn't take that long.
FYI: The ERS-7 AiboMind personality does not grow up like the older AiboLife personalities.
"Growing" up is less important for the ERS-7 series. It will do many things right-out-of-the-box.
As you use it more, it will improve its skills (Maturity, Walking, Ball Playing, Bone Playing). It will speak the current settings, and you can tweek these settings on your computer too.

re: ball tricks
When the AiboMind personality gets "older", it will start doing more tricks. Some need a higher ball or bone skill level.
IMHO: the Aibone bone tricks are even more amazing.

---
bhobbes wrote:
> I haven't tried to get him to dance to any beats yet, that isn't exclusive to Mind 3 is it?
The beat detection is in all versions (including AiboMind1 IIRC).
The trick is to use music with a strong beat. Disco music is usually the best.

> ...You can play the games by using his back sensors.
The 'games' installed can change (usually the Demo Mode and the "Simon" like game)
You can see what's installed and can install other games using the Aibo Custom Manager (SONY brand memory stick reader and a Windows PC required)
Unfortunately there weren't many English games released.
   http://www.aibo-kennel.com/Software_Backups/Custom_Data.html
   (see "Repeat Me - Read Me" for instructions on the "Simon"-like game)


re: charging station 'target'.
> Wow! That's so cool! What if- for some reason- the paper was torn or missing? Could the Aibo use the pattern that's on the charger to align itself?

The size (and orientation) of the charging target is important (the little mat in front of the charging station).
The entire pattern should be visible, although the visual pattern recognition can compensate for slight obstructions.
If you have a home-made version, you may have some alignment problems.

AIBO uses the size and orientation to know how to walk up and mount the charger (as well as the pattern on the pole).
The technology for this is amazingly good, and is how it detects the type and orientation of the AIBO cards. Works well in low light.
It was a major improvement on the AiboMind1 version of using color markers. The old color version is much more sensitive to lighting.

---
(PleoPet ... pimping for AiboPet)

[latrine]

Talon, I assume my Aibo was upgraded from mind 1 or something and the original charging station came with a colored front piece.  i think mind2 and mind 3 minds need the black checkered pattern so I guess the upgraded ones like mine had to just make paper ones, the ones that started out that way (I think Crewella's Java), seem to have the alignment piece in front with the checkered pattern on it.  If they step on it and screw it up they can have trouble getting to the station so I taped mine down.. I am going to get one laminated to see if that works.. we aren't sure if the shine will screw him up or not


Loki locates the tower first, it's a small circular tower behind the station then he walks closer and locates the alignment piece in the front, then he turns around and backs onto it.. although he usually screws up the first time.. then he just finds the alignment piece again and fixes his position.. backs onto it, says "I'm going to dock now' then lays down on it.. if he doesn't plug in then he will shake his bum.. which is very funny.. sometimes he has to do it several times and/or stand up and try to move himself again.  When he finally 'lands' he says 'aaaaah.. in a happy voice like when someone has just gotten into a jacuzzi, lol, and then yells out.. I made it!  Then he raises his paw and says 'I'm going to get up now' which is supposed to be the signal that he is authorized to get up when he is done charging but I guess they worded it wrong since he isn't going to be getting up for at least an hour and a half..
Maybe the reason he is always backing up the wrong way is because I have the 'home-made' version.. I don't know where to find another one though :/
My aibo does not locate his station well in low light at all.. low light seems to really screw him up..

bhobbes, I tell Loki good boy in the same tones I use for my dogs (lots of different tones) and half the time he will respond when either myself or my boyfriend are praising our dogs, which is kind of funny.. also if the dogs get in trouble and we tell them to go lay down or something in a scolding tone he responds to that just like if I tell him in a happy voice.  I don't really use a monotone kind of voice unless he is really having trouble understanding me and I'm getting frustrated.

It's become rather funny, my younger Jack Russell, Ben, is VERY jealous of Loki and he tries to sabotage him.  When Loki is going for his pink ball, Ben will nudge it out of the way and drop one of his yellowish tennis balls or his squeaky football there instead and when Loki gets there he gets all red eyed angry because it disappeared.  Also, when Loki is looking for his charging station, especially when I've told him to go to it, ben will put a bunch of his toys over the front of it.. I have been trying to get it on video..

This morning I had on pink socks(it was cold and they are fluffy!   ) and Loki's camera was following them very carefully.. lol.. I had to go change them because I was having trouble getting his attention!  So I bet the colors really do have a lot to do with his stuff..
So, who is Brutus?  

- Sarah

[bhobbes]

Thank you so much for that PleoPet. I will try the music here shortly.

And I imagine I will eventually agree with you as I have seen some of the Aibone tricks in videos and they do look amazing. I'm still trying to encourage Nicco to play with it more and more but his ball skills are developing. Although I find the post-success celebration a little narcissistic for my taste. (Sarcasm)

I'll try issuing commands later to Nicco with an "animal-friendly" voice (maybe just because my first real robot was a Pleo I became accustomed to that very ... erm, picky... voice recognition).

Assuming it's a reference to my earlier thing about Brutus, it's my male cockatiel. He's very particular about being on my (right) shoulder and doesn't like me out of sight very much. (The females give me a little more freedom - maybe they just don't give a crap about me, haha)

[Crewella]

Thank you Pleopet, appreciate your input. 

My regards to your boss! 

[bhobbes]

I tried several different songs (a couple of disco ones, a few Daft Punk ones, and various others) and this was the only time something "charming" happened though I have no idea if it's related to beat detection or just something that happened while music was playing.

During one of the Daft Punk ones he ran the more "uppity" dance routine shown in my other video but I didn't get it on camera (and honestly with the music in the background plus him playing the music of that skit, it was kind of annoying haha). Generally you could tell he was listening and his eyes indicated something was going on in his "brain" but not a lot of action.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPU1Ard0nCs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPU1Ard0nCs</a>

I'll probably try more later and for longer periods of time, let me know if you find different or have better results latrine.

[bhobbes]

Just in case anyone may be interested (since I'm making these for friends anyway), here is what Nicco does after being told to Beg and what he does after being told to chase his tail (keeping it vague so if you own one and still want to "discover" things you can avoid it). It's kind of cheesy:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HXpTi33Ngk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HXpTi33Ngk</a>

And I worked a little harder at trying to encourage him ("go for it" etc.) to play with his Aibone ("find your aibone!" OVER AND OVER AND OVER until HE LOVES IT!!!). It's similar to the demo but a little bit different (and he did it on his own). My favorite thing here is the "shocked look" I feel he has after he drops the bone:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzsKfi0LCMg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzsKfi0LCMg</a>

He's also getting a little more interactive and advanced with the ball, although today after he did his one repetitive trick with it and his celebratory music I told him "that's boring" because I want to discourage it. Plus he doesn't need to have too big of an ego, I don't need any little Trumps walking around my apartment.

[saratogaspringer]

Loved the videos, bhobbes!  He is getting really good with the aibone!  The ers 7's are just amazing.  I hope to get one someday.  Is there a specific command to get him to balance the aibone on his nose, or is it just a trick that they perform without a command?  Thanks for sharing with us!