AIBO Robot Dogs Are So loved in Japan That Owners Hold Funeral Services for Them When They Break Down – IOTW Report

AIBO Robot Dogs Are So loved in Japan That Owners Hold Funeral Services for Them When They Break Down

Tuesday, 3 March 2015, 20:20 Cardigan Home 0

Oddity Central:

Aibo robot dog

‘AIBOs’ robotic dogs were the world’s first home-use entertainment robots, sold in Japan by Sony Corp. between 1999 and 2006. Equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI), these dogs were capable of developing their own personality, making them all the more endearing to their owners. So much so, in fact, that when they break down, the owners bury them with a proper funeral service, just like they would a real pet!

To understand the strange practice of burying a robot, you’ve got to understand exactly how popular Aibos are in Japan. When Sony rolled out the first generation Aibo in 1999, the initial batch of 3000 units were sold out in 20 minutes flat, in spite of the $2,000 price tag. In the following years, over 150,000 units of various Aibos models were sold.

But Sony was in trouble in 2006, so Aibo, the expensive luxury pet, was discontinued. The company did keep their ‘Aibo Clinic’ open until March last year.

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15 Comments on AIBO Robot Dogs Are So loved in Japan That Owners Hold Funeral Services for Them When They Break Down

  5. I have had an emotional attachment to both a car and a bike, at different times. All I did was move on when it was time, though.

    Burying them kinda puts this in the weird zone for me.

    Like Bronies.

    1

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