Sony Aibo

What better way to kick off Dog 2.0 than with a robot dog post? Now you may be thinking that robot dogs are a bit too dorky even for your techno savvy self. And to that I say you haven't see an Aibo in person. Back when I was at MIT one of my professors brought in his Aibo ERS-7. I have to say that I was a bit skeptical but once that little guy started dancing in front of the class I realized the appeal. Apparently the Abio was a success in Japan where small apartments make it hard for people to have dogs. In fact, Aibo owners have shown quite a passion online, specifically in their Aibo hacking. However, it never managed to have the same success in the U.S. and in 2006 Sony stopped production.

For some more background on the Aibo check out the Harvard Business School Case. If you happen to think that the Aibo is only a toy you should read this medical study where robot dogs were used to reduce loneliness in nursing home patients.