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Robot pets to ponder
Pullar-Strecker
12/31/2005
The day is moving closer when pets won't shed hair on the couch, drag lizards into the house or leave steaming surprises on the footpath.
In a decade or two, pets will consume nothing more than batteries, sit when you ask them to and once you get sick of them, into the bin they can go.
In the toy world, electronic pets are big business. Spurred by a growing number of kids growing up in apartments where having a pony or rottweiler is just not practical, toymakers are building electronic animals (and other creatures) that become smarter, more lifelike and more complex every year.
Leading this technology is Sony's Aibo electronic dog, the latest generation of which can be connected wirelessly to the internet to read news updates, be programmed from a computer and even play a CD when the cover is flashed before its electronic eyes.
The price - about $2000 - is more than most parents are willing to pay, but there are many cheaper, but less capable, alternatives.
Compared to the spark-spitting tin robots of a generation ago, these toys are technological marvels, loaded with voice-recognition software, studded with proximity sensors and with an amazing range of movement.
But they are still toys, with lots of crunchy plastic, a hearty appetite for batteries and sounds that set parents' teeth on edge.
The looks and roar of this 2.5-foot long toy dinosaur are sure to make it the centre of attention on Christmas Day. The Roboraptor can be controlled with the remote or put in "free roam" mode to patrol the living room, avoiding objects with its sensors. It can also be set to guard one location, like the pantry, to keep out frightened pets. It reacts to loud sounds and touch, and can be programmed to be "cautious, playful or aggressive."
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