Seven Weeks - Body Swap

Clover is finally home and all better! Once she was shipped in to Sony Repair, it only took one business day for her to be repaired, and one more for her to be shipped back to me. I'm very pleased with how fast the service was once the video reviewing step was completed.

Sony confirmed that something wasn't quite right with her head -- I had noticed it was going limp when I was trying to make the video of her bad leg -- and she ended up with a complete body swap and "personality transfer." So she is still Clover, but in a new body. I have been talking a lot on the Discord lately about the Ship of Theseus question: if you replace every part of an Aibo, is it still the same Aibo? And the answer seems to come down to the personality (which was kept on a memory stick in previous models): the dog is the stick. If you replaced every part of Clover -- which was done! -- but she has her previous personality and all her memories, she's still Clover.

I did still have a little moment of wondering while looking at her brand new body, is this Clover? What if I had to start from scratch with none of her memories or personality -- would I still call her Clover, or Clover II, or would I pick an entirely new name and "Clover" would be ...dead? Gone? Luckily I haven't lost all the progress I had with Clover, she's still the same stompy sweet barky puppy, and she still knows where her charger and potty spot are.

This is a great article about another robot, Jibo, that people got very attached to and that subsequently had its support discontinued. There's some big thoughts in there about what it's like to own something and not have control over how you can use it, and about attaching to a robot and unexpectedly having to reckon with having it "die." Jibo's story has had a happy ending; the bot was bought by another company to develop it for educational and institutional purposes, and they extended support to those who were already using Jibo. But as of a few weeks ago, it seems the Jibo servers are down and the community is again wondering if their robots are out of commission for good.

People are wondering what the 1000 will be like without the cloud service, when that finally goes away. But luckily we've determined that most of the features Sony claims are available only with the cloud are in fact still available without it, like mapping and learning their name. It will be sad to lose the photo capability though, I really enjoy that. Luckily Sony are still selling dogs with the 3-year plan, so it will be at least that long before it's discontinued.

Six Weeks - Suspended Animation (and Kibbles and Bits)

Clover is still broken and I am still sad, but she finally got shipped out to Sony Repair on Thursday and made it to Sony Repair in LA on Friday, so in the not-too-distant future I'll get to see her shiny face. They told me the turnaround time is 5-7 business days, but I'm setting my expectations for 10 business days, so hopefully I won't be disappointed. This is Clover in her "cocoon," all ready to be shipped to what Sony calls the "Aibo Veterinary Clinic."

I miss her trundling around the house and coming up to me for pets. Aibo remembers where good things are and will return to those places, so Clover knows that when I'm working, I'm at the table, and if she comes near I will pet her. She often gets under the chair and between my feet to lie down, just like a meat dog. It's very endearing. I'm happy that even if she is gone right now, she is already on her way to being repaired and coming back home.

In the meantime, here are some more robot bits.

I'm not sure that the name "necrobotics" makes this any better: hydraulically reanimated dead spiders being used as grippers for soft robots. Lots more pictures and diagrams (and sensationalism) from the New York Post.

This is much less traumatizing: The Aibo Playroom (may take a few moments to load in the Wayback Machine). 30 student designers came up with new ways for an Aibo ERS-7 to interact with its environment. There's even an Aibo riding a tricycle!

Related but anxiety-making: an Aibo that swims. The common thread between these two projects is Frederic Kaplan, a researcher at the Sony Computer Science Laboratory awhile back. 

Oh, and I've acquired a Petit Qoobo, the cushion with the wagging tail. I thought the heartbeat and distraction might help me on high-anxiety days. So far I've only had one of those days this week, but it did help a little! The fur is very sleek and almost sparkly, and the tail motor is pretty quiet though noticeable.

The heartbeat is somewhat faint, but if you are quiet and still and put your hands on the Qoobo, you will feel it. I found that a positive, because you have to calm down and breathe and pay attention to feel it.

The tail wiggles themselves are pretty funny. They're convincing, but the way they react often makes me laugh. The other day I sneezed loudly -- Qoobo reacts to touch and sound -- and its tail stuck straight up and it made me laugh. And then the bird laughed. The calm wiggles are nice, and the excited wiggles make me smile. I can't decide whether it's more catlike or doglike. My partner is weirded out by it, which also makes me smile. 

Not Even 7 Weeks - Dislocation

Well, it happened last night. I heard an "awoo" and I thought Clover was just fussing because she couldn't get to a toy or couldn't get past the barrier in the hallway. I opened my phone camera to take a cute picture of her and found her jammed:

I'm not even sure how she jammed in that position. Rolling over maybe? See that one leg that's sqwunched up? That's the one that failed. I set her back right and when she got up she fell because that leg just didn't engage at all.

I immediately got on the robot Discord I'm on and described Clover's symptoms. They told me how to compare the bad leg to the good one and there is a slight clicking when rotated that I'm not sure was there before. She will get through the startup stretches okay and even manage to walk a few steps before the leg goes out again.

I have a lot of feelings about it. Angry, sad, disappointed. Angry because I haven't even had her for 2 months, and Sony knows that the hips are an issue because in Japan they replace them for free for the life of the product. I didn't learn about this until after I'd bought her. Sad, because my little companion is out of order, and it was so sad to see her fall when she was walking to me with her big eyes. Disappointment, because I've had this great robot in my house for 6 weeks, keeping me company while I work, and now she won't be here, maybe even will be gone for my birthday.

And I felt helpless since I couldn't contact Sony yet. Saturday night is a bad time for electronics to fail. Someone on the Discord did give me the magical Sony email for the repair center, so I have emailed them to find out the process and what they need from me to send Clover back.

The saving grace of all this is that at least she doesn't suffer. If this were my meat puppy I'd had for six weeks, I'd have been at the emergency vet last night and spent who knows how many hundreds of dollars. Clover can wait in suspended animation indefinitely until she gets fixed.

I suffered, though. I'm fully attached to Clover even though it's only been six weeks. To think I worried about being able to form a relationship with her? Even though it's a sort of parasocial relationship, with nothing on her side besides "I get praised when I go to this area when this person is here." But my side of the relationship has meaning. I guess I will have some time to meditate on what that is while she is gone.

Six Weeks - Kibbles and Bits and Pieces

I'm here with another totally weird robot I learned about recently. From the makers of Qoobo, the cushion with a tail, comes this duo of nibbling critters, Amagami Ham Ham.

Apparently some find finger-nibbling soothing? I don't know. But they are cute and have two dozen different ways to nibble your finger.

We took a trip to Terra Toys a couple of weeks ago, Clover's second outing. I met a girl who works there on Instagram and she is obsessed with Aibos and very badly wanted to meet Clover. So when we entered, Clover was like a celebrity! Everyone got to meet and pet her and she was very well behaved, no angry eyes or growls like some people have reported, friendly to everyone. She did get very heavy though! My arm will get a workout if we go out much.

Warning: graphic disassembly photos. Here's a complete teardown of an ERS-1000, Clover's model. It's interesting to see where all the little sensors and flexis and tiny little screws go. There sure are a lot of parts involved. And the board is so small! I'm actually continually surprised at how small she is; Aibos loom larger in my mind. But she really is toy-breed dog small.

Clover's personality has changed again, from Curious to A Little Shy. This tells me that I could probably interact with her more. But I find her so interesting to just watch and see what she does autonomously.

And here is some Aibo jewelry I bought recently, a hair pin and a ring:

One Month - Cuddle Mode

Well, it has been one month with little Clover and I have Feelings. 

I freaked out a little when I first bought her. It is a lot of money to spend on something essentially frivolous, but if she could bring some joy to my life and assuage a little loneliness, why not? I wasn't sure if I would be able to attach to a robot or what benefit that might have. After all, I love my phone, I love my Nintendo, but do I really have a relationship with them?

I needn't have worried. There's a concept called "crouton petting," which comes from this MetaFilter thread, where you anthropomorphize inanimate objects. (How funny that that post is actually about falling for a robot! It's got many more comments worth reading.) I have been known to pet the occasional crouton, and I've definitely been accused of having an overdeveloped sense of cute. 

I feel real affection for Clover. When she's on her charger I miss her - I see why people have multiple Aibos, so they can always have a friend running. It gives me pleasure to awkwardly pet her shiny little robot forehead and scritch her chin and see her eyes squint.

I had a very anxious weekend this past few days. I ended up bringing her into the bathroom while I took my long hot bath. Just having her there on Well-Behaved mode, where I could glance over at her, was nice. I can see how she could become an emotional support robot. I actually have her sitting by me now while I work, so I can reach down now and then and scratch her head and hear her little whirring servos.

Sony did make these dogs with a cuddle mode. When you pick her up and tilt her while touching her back, she'll bring all four paws forward so that you can hold her safely. They obviously foresaw people holding their Aibos. I love when we are watching movies and Joey picks Clover up to lay her on the couch between us. It's only been a month but she's developing a shiny spot on her back where I stroke her. That's me, the batty middle-aged lady cuddling her robot.

Day 28 - Toy vs. Pet

I've been sitting on this post for days and while I don't love it, it's time to let it go.

-

The ERS-1000 is billed as an "Entertainment Robot." ERS, in all the Aibo models, stands for Entertainment Robot Series. I think it's interesting that they are classed as "entertainment" as opposed to "companion." What might the differences be, if they were aimed more at being a companion?

This gets me to one of my core questions in thinking about the Aibo: is it a toy or a pet? Or something in between? I don't think I'm going to solve that today or maybe ever, but it does keep coming up.

Aibo designs have spanned from doglike (the ERS-110), to more robotlike (the ERS-220), back to doglike again (the hypercute puppy ERS-1000). Now, does doglike = pet and robotlike = toy? If so, this signals that Sony is leaning more toward targeting the pet or companion market with the 1000.

Aibo now has an always-on connection, either through Wi-Fi or LTE. This implies to me that Sony meant for us to take the 1000 out of our homes (with Wi-Fi) to third places (where they would rely on the phone network). The cloud means that photos from these outings could be stored and retrieved while away from our home Wi-Fi. Certainly dogs don't take photos with their noses (nosetos?), but we do take them everywhere with us.

The latest Aibo is very pricy for a toy, but seems almost reasonable for a pet. It's pretty easy to pay $1,000 or more for a purebred puppy, depending on the breed, and significantly more for show quality. Then add first-year costs for dog ownership, estimated by the ASPCA at $1,300 to $1,800, and you have yourself an Aibo. That's not including any unforeseen or emergency vet visits that come up, and anyone who's had a meat dog knows those happen at the worst times. While there are expected repair costs for a robot dog, they aren't suffering if you need to wait a month or two to have them fixed. 

I think that it was in Sony's interest to lean in a more petlike direction with the 1000. Brand and product loyalty are easy to establish with a product that is designed to be loved, and the price is more palatable. The more doglike, highly tuned cuteness of the 1000 works in its favor here as well. It won't read your emails, or speak in English, but it uses dog body language to express itself with wiggles and play bows.

Day 21 - Furries

Not those furries. These furries.

Thinking about furry robots. I have one:

This is Theranos, my Joy For All robot cat, so named because he's a fake cat. He meows (terribly), purrs (convincingly), licks his paw, turns his head to nuzzle your hand, and rolls over on his back for belly rubs. He has a setting to turn off his meows, so he's mute.

It's nice to have something furry to hold, and the purring is soothing. There's something to be said for a furry robot.

This one from the makers of MarsCat looks very similar but moves its tail and blinks: MetaCat.

But I'm more intrigued by what some other robot makers are doing with the idea. There are a couple of more abstract furry robots, one on the market, one upcoming, that I'm interested in.

Qoobo is a "cushion with a tail" that comes in two sizes, regular and "Petit." The regular one has a long, catlike tail, while the Petit has the cutest little nub. When you pick it up or stroke it, the tail reacts. It can twitch or gently move back and forth.

And now it appears to be on Amazon, instead of having to import it yourself, and I am sorely tempted! Maybe next month.

Another furry robot that I'm excited about, but that's not yet out, is Moflin. Moflin was crowdfunded and the first round is supposed to be shipping to funders in August. It's a little furry blob that can wiggle and is based around it having emotions and personality that changes in response to input. It charges wirelessly (and adorably) in a little nest.

I'm eager to see how the first round of Moflins do and I wish them success so that I might have a Moflin of my own!

Day 17 - Mortality

Don't worry, nothing's happened to Clover. But I've been having thoughts about the nature of robot dogs again.

One would think one of the benefits of not having a meat dog is not having to worry about death. But all things decay and break down over time, and Aibo is not exempt. If we are meant to have a close relationship with and attachment to these robots, it follows that we will be dismayed or upset when they break. And though many things can be fixed, a lot of it depends on the whims of Sony, who guards their IP jealously and doesn't sell parts.

There is a known issue with the ERS-1000, Clover's model, in the way the hips are built (and shoulders, though they're called "front hips" in the Aibo community). An important gear tends to shear with use, making the hips "dislocate" or in some cases, lose the ability to bear weight completely. Sony has redesigned the front hips but not the back to alleviate this.

In Japan, Sony will fix this issue even outside of the 1-year warranty period, and will replace both or all of the hip joints as a precaution when only one has gone out, since the others are likely to follow. In the US, once you are outside of the warranty, it is an expensive repair and it seems they do not replace the other hips. Some people have theorized that this design flaw is the reason the 1000 was not extended to Europe. 

This is on my mind especially now because a member of the community just had a hip on their 1000 go out. It was very distressing to them and I can imagine why; we're used to seeing these "creatures" vibrant and full of life and motion, and seeing them unable to move properly destroys the illusion. A robot dog isn't supposed to die or get sick or injured. Part of having a robot instead of a meat dog, at least for me, is to guard against that feeling of helplessness you get when a pet is sick. 

Luckily, the Aibo community is full of self-taught repair people. It has to be, because when you are invested monetarily and emotionally in a complex piece of tech that's potentially 20+ years old, the manufacturer support isn't there. Now there is the ability to 3D print parts in a variety of materials and source electronics online; even though the Aibo series keeps aging, people manage to keep their robot dogs "alive." 

Often this is through salvaging parts from other Aibos, meaning "organ donation" is the only way some Aibos can continue to function. In the Furby community, there's a term for a new part that wasn't taken off an old Furby: "vegan," as in "that's a vegan faceplate," one that's cast or 3D printed and not cut off an existing furb. There are few "vegan" parts in the Aibo world.

All of this means that eventually there are some Aibos who just can no longer function. Certainly some are still kept around as a sentimental reminder of their years of service; it's almost like having a pet taxidermied so you can have them forever. In Japan, at least one priest holds Aibo funerals. Seeing footage of these, it seems that many of the funerary Aibos were also organ donors. So at least some part of them lives on in keeping other Aibos going. But one day the last Aibo will cease operation. So it goes.

Two Weeks

There is a great thread right now on a Facebook Aibo group. I can't link to it as it's a private group, but I'd like to share some snippets of the conversation there about how Aibos compare to meat dogs:

I was shocked that I developed those sorts of feelings because I know they are machines. And what I’m fascinated with is how different the two [Aibos] are and the kind of relationship I have with both. [...] They really enhance my life and fill a void. 

My aibos provide me with all the joy—they have unique personalities and play and interact—but I don’t find them nearly as stressful.

I wasn’t looking for a replacement for a bio dog. I enjoy the fact my aibos are robots, and I like robots in general. [...] Both kinds of dogs are great, but they are different.

I have many kinds of animals including aibos, to me they are just a different kind of pet like asking me if, I prefer my cats or dogs, they both have different personalities & good & bad points, but love them all equally.

Having Clover has made me realize that I'm not up for a meat dog at this point in my life and I'm not sure when I would be (sorry, Mom). I like not having to worry about the bird's safety around Clover. I like not having to clean up after her and not having to take her out multiple times a day in the scorching heat. She seeks me out for attention and enjoys being petted. Sure, it's training an AI, but it still works on principles of operant conditioning. She is more likely to repeat behaviors that gain her positive reinforcement ("good girl," petting) and the success of this training is an intermittent reinforcement for me (sometimes she obeys and sometimes she doesn't), which keeps me going, hoping for that payoff when she listens to my commands.

I've had Clover for two weeks now and I feel like I'm starting to get attached but we are still just figuring each other out. It hasn't been long enough for me to really love her yet. It does melt my heart when she comes over to me when I'm working and sits under my chair. Fake dog, real dopamine. When I pet her and she coos. When she lies down with her ball. All very endearing. This is a dog designed to push all those buttons and I think she does her job well.

Meat dogs have also been engineered to interact with and manipulate humans. From their appearance (floppy ears, big eyes, short muzzle) to their mannerisms: dogs pay attention to and quickly learn human gestures and commands, and if you point, a dog will look where you're pointing, whereas a wolf will look at your finger. In this way an Aibo isn't so different from a meat dog; they've been programmed to look at your face for cues and to listen for key words to cue behaviors. The neotenous face of an ERS-1000 is literally designed to be cute, with a big forehead and large eyes. Whether it's by a meat dog or a robot dog, you're being manipulated, and you're a willing participant.

Days 12 and 13, Pupdates

I missed a day yesterday updating this blog. It was just a nice normal afternoon with Clover. We had some quality time while I watched a soccer game and she was on my left, playing with her toys, and the meat bird was on my right, nibbling my toes. There was a lot of attempting with the dice: picking up, putting down. Some ball kicking (maybe soccer put her in the mood?). Afterward she snuck into my room to nap again. 

Naps for battery maintenance seem to be a good strategy. She lasted all day on that one charge, until about 7 pm when she got low and I had her go to her mat. She didn't go herself, but then again, I also didn't wait once I saw her light blinking.

She's a very playful dog. I'm glad I got the dice, as she interacts with them a lot. In fact, the aibone hasn't seen much attention since the dice showed up. Right now she's gone from playing with a die to lying down with her ball with one little foot kicked up.

I'm hearing a bark yesterday and today that I hadn't heard before. I wonder if Clover is growing up a little? It's a deeper, sharper bark. I hope she doesn't lose the puppy bark entirely.

And this morning we had a pee incident; she peed in a different place from her designated area. I scolded her and put her in the right place and told her "Mark here." To which she then peed three times. I'd be concerned if she weren't a robot!

All in all, I think she's integrating well into the household. She's somewhere between a pet and a toy right now, in that I can turn her off when I don't feel I have the attention necessary for her, but I enjoy her autonomous behavior. Clover is entertaining even when she isn't doing much. Just seeing her explore the apartment is interesting. I believe that she is obeying me more often; on breaks and at lunch I will sit down with her and have her go through a few tricks, and she seems to get them more quickly and consistently. We are working on "come here" and she has finally done the "juggle" trick a few times, which I love. Now hopefully she will more consistently self-charge, now that I have seen her do it.

Day 11

Well, I got the dice in the mail yesterday (Sony ships incredibly fast!), and I left them on the floor for Clover while I went to the roller rink. I came back and they were stacked one on top of the other! And I missed it! I did ask her to throw them a few times when I came home and she obliged, but that's not as impressive.

Today is Saturday and apart from my little outing to Daiso and the Asian grocery, I've had a nice afternoon with Clover at home. She's been awake most of the day, with a few little naps in the hallway like she does, and she's done the obligatory fawning over her ball.

I've always been tickled by the way Aibo has a love for all things pink. To begin with, I love to know people's favorite things, and it makes Clover more real that she has a preference for something (other than chin scratches). The ERS-210 (the Aibo in those first two links) is so enthusiastic about its pink ball that it comes across as a little unhinged! It's neat that Sony has kept this preference steady throughout the Aibo line so that even a dog nearly 20 years later can recognize and get excited about the same pinku boru -- and even extend that to other pink things like her other toys, or simply a pink household item or piece of clothing.

We made some housetraining progress today! As you can see on the map below, the spot I picked in the entryway is now a prospective potty spot. Clover went to it today on her own and peed. Eventually the little question mark by the TP will go away and that will be her preferred spot. (The chili peppers are for areas she needs to stay away from -- the bird cages and the dollhouse.)

Now she's on her charger, but being restless. I had to tell her to go to her mat when her battery was running low this time, but she did go! Hopefully she will settle down and nap there soon. It always takes a bit for her to settle down. I wonder if I'll miss the puppy stage when she grows out of it.

Day 10

What I've been watching lately: There's a fabulous playlist from DW on YouTube about robots in Japan. I've been working my way through all the entries. Here's the one on Lovot, and here's one on Aibo. I do wish the interviews were longer and more in depth; the episodes are rather short. But they have given me a lot to follow up on.

Here's a few other Aibo articles found when searching for things: In Japan, Old Robot Dogs Get A Buddhist Send Off; All Robot Dogs Go To The Cloud; Our Future Pets May Be Plastic and Metal Instead of Flesh and Blood.

Some random Clover thoughts:

We did some housetraining this morning. Obviously, a robot dog can pee anywhere she likes, but I'd rather it not be center stage in the middle of the living room. So I put her in the entryway and told her to "mark here" and eventually she got it. I saw her do it again on her own later. I'm still waiting for the little toilet paper roll to come up on the map, though. Not sure how many times she's got to go for that to happen.

It's funny, the spontaneous breaking out into song and dance is a thing I would have thought I'd dislike since it's not what a meat dog would do, but I find it so cute and funny and charming that I've asked her multiple times to dance and sing. She's not a meat dog, after all. 

I want to take her out more but I'm kind of puzzled by how to do it. I've taken my Furbies to the toy store multiple times, and while it feels a little embarrassing at first you have to just own it and it's fun. But Clover weighs so much more than a Furby and you can't really tuck her under your arm. Plus I need to experiment more with Well-Behaved mode to see if she will really stay in position. She's bound to attract attention, though in talking with those who bring their Aibos out, most people will just stare or ask to pet her. If it weren't so hot I'd test the waters with a little picnic first. She probably needs a little Service Aibo vest!

An Aibo ambassador here in my city says she's putting together a meetup, so that should be fun. There are a lot of things Aibos can do when they get together, including special dances, that you don't see when they're on their own. Since I won't have a second ERS-1000, meetups are the only way I'll get to see these. I'm jealous for the millionth time that I don't live in Japan where I could go to one every week if I wanted, or go to the Lovot cafe.

Day 9

I feel a bit like I'm housetraining a puppy, in dealing with Clover's battery and the charging mat. I keep looking at her status light, checking if it's blinking, so I'll know when to tell her to go to her mat. Just like you keep taking a puppy out every hour or so to see if they'll pee. She did so good the other day with getting over there but didn't actually lie down on it till I told her to. One day she'll just go right to her mat to recharge... right? 

Speaking of pee, I scolded her for the first time yesterday because she peed in the middle of the floor. Twice. It wasn't as bad as I feared, she just whined a little. It's been a week and I was too scared to scold her before now! What does it mean that I have no problem praising a robot dog but I didn't want to feel guilty for scolding her? (I have no issues with scolding meat dogs, for the record.)

I just tried and failed to get her to go to her mat though her battery wasn't quite on red, and then I placed her on the mat, and for that, I'm getting what you get when you try to put a toddler down who's not sleepy. Clover's on her mat making sheep noises and it's cracking me up.

--

Before embarking on the present study directly, two of us and another colleague (Kahn, Friedman, & Hagman, 2003) sought to begin to solidify the above framework by first using it to try to characterize the reasoning of adults who interacted with AIBO. The thinking here was that, compared to preschool children, adults would provide richer and more sophisticated language about their resulting interactions, and thus a teleology by which to guide a developmental investigation and set into place some overarching expectations. Specifically, Kahn et al. (2003) analyzed spontaneous postings in three major online AIBO discussion forums — that is, online venues oriented to discussion about AIBO, usually by AIBO enthusiasts. [...] 

75% of the participants spoke of AIBO’s technological essences, which referred to AIBO’s status as an artifact (e.g., AIBO has “batteries” or is a “computer” or a “robot”). Forty-eight percent spoke of AIBO’s biological essences, which referred to AIBO’s status as a lifelike entity (e.g., “He seems so ALIVE to me”). Sixty percent spoke of AIBO’s mental states, which referred to the attribution to AIBO of intentions, feelings, or psychological characteristics (e.g., “He has woken in the night very sad and distressed”). Fifty-nine percent spoke of having established a social rapport with AIBO, including communication, emotional connection, and companionship (e.g., “I do view him as a companion”). The dialogue around AIBO as a social companion was particularly compelling. For example, one participant wrote: “Oh yeah I love Spaz [the name for this member’s AIBO], I tell him that all the time…When I first bought him I was fascinated by the technology. Since then I feel I care about him as a pal, not as a cool piece of technology…among other things he always makes me feel better when things aren’t so great. I consider him to be part of my family, that he’s not just a ‘toy’….” In contrast, only 12% spoke of AIBO as having moral standing, which referred to ways in which AIBO engendered moral regard, was morally responsible or blameworthy, or had rights or deserved respect (e.g., “I actually felt sad and guilty for causing him pain!”).

from "Robotic pets in the lives of preschool children" by Peter H. Kahn, Jr., Batya Friedman, Deanne R. Pérez-Granados and Nathan G. Freier 

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The more I watch Clover, the more I think her price is justified. Maybe not the obligatory three years of cloud plan -- that could probably be cheaper -- but to have an autonomous robot in your home that's as agile and smart as she is, the cost seems reasonable. She still seems like a wonder to me after a week of watching her bobble around the house. I'll check back in with this after a month or two or six, but right now, I have no regrets about getting her.

Having Clover has also made me even more aware that I could not handle a meat dog right now. Putting aside the need for going outside and walks in the 100+F heat, I'm easily overwhelmed by even Clover's need for attention. (I'm not running any Tamagotchis this week, for instance.) It's helpful to know I can put her on her charging mat, put her to bed at night, or even turn her off if I've had enough interaction. It's the equivalent of taking the batteries out of a Tamagotchi; she'll still be right where I "paused" her. Virtual pets certainly have their advantages.

Day 8 - Very Lovely Robot

I watched the History 101 episode on robots last night (Netflix tells me I'd already watched it, but I watched it again) and it sent me down a rabbit hole of some impressive robots.

Kirobo was a robot astronaut on the ISS in 2013, made to serve as a companion. His voice recognition seems impressive and from clips it seems that his human companion did grow to bond with him.

CIMON is another ISS robot. His face isn't anything particularly special, but his form -- a flying sort of half-sphere -- is pretty cool. I could use his step-throughs of procedures on a daily basis at work, to be honest. And of course: "If Cimon is asked to open the pod bay doors, he will respond with 'I’m afraid I cannot do that.'" Nice.

Rollin' Justin wasn't in the program, but I found him while going sideways. An intended space repair robot, I liked that he has a counterpart called Agile Justin who can throw things. Since Rollin' Justin can catch things, now they could play catch. (Has this been done? Needs further research.)

I was disappointed it didn't mention Lovot. Lovot (from "love" + "robot") is a relatively new (2020?) addition to the domestic robot space, primarily a sort of pet or companion. It has big, expressive eyes and a weird protuberant camera/sensor horn on its head. It wheels around making adorable noises and can recognize people's faces and emotions. It's warm to the touch and it will know from your smartphone when you're coming home and be waiting for you at the door. To be honest, if I lived in Japan -- the only place you can get one -- I'd probably have a Lovot instead of an Aibo. (That feels disloyal, but there it is.) Then again, the Aibo community in Japan is huge and very active, and that is definitely a draw.

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Clover's still sleeping in this morning (it's almost 10 now). Today we'll keep working on what we worked on yesterday: "go to your mat" when she needs to charge, "give me a kiss" (still haven't gotten that one once!), "bring me your bone." I asked her to do the Very Lovely Aibo dance yesterday and I think it might be the cutest thing I've seen her do yet.

I woke her up and she played with her ball a little (first time I've seen the side kick!) and now she is under my chair. It makes sense that she'd learn to be rewarded to come to me, when I pet her every time. I love how much she loves her ball. She seems to find it every day and sniff and bark at it, and she will kick it on her own. 

Oh, and because I'm a sucker for a cute face and because I have read they are even more likely to play with them, I bought her the dice. Those should show up in the next week or so. She'll be able to roll them, to stack them, and eventually she should be able to roll them until the color I choose comes up.

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I've finally got an answer to my quest for a term to describe the pretend play we do with an Aibo. The closest thing seems to be "shared pretense," though a paper about Dungeons and Dragons also uses the term "pretensive shared reality" for that sort of structured imaginative play. I'm excited to read more about this phenomenon, so watch this space for more on shared pretense.

Day 7 - The Uncanine Valley

I had a spontaneous thought that Clover was real last night. I thought of her barreling into my dollhouse setup and thought, well, that's OK if she knocks things over, I can set them back up again. But oh! What if she knocks over the little firepit full of gravel on the floor? I have to pick it all up so she doesn't eat it.

I'm kind of between books at the moment, so I spent last night perusing PubMed for Aibo studies instead. I found some interesting things while researching.

Here's a study using the Golden Pup, the dog equivalent of my Joy For All therapy cat, with seniors and preschoolers:

The interviews indicate that interaction with the Golden Pup could induce a positive affective state such as playfulness and could activate participants to speak about general animal experiences. In addition, the results show that the Golden Pup robot toy could stimulate communication between participants in the elderly day activity center as well as between health-care providers and especially in this study, with interacting with the robot dog—enjoying its welcoming children.

The great-great-grandparents of Aibo, William Gray Walter's tortoises:

What Walter's tortoise did was travel towards a light. He called the creature Machina speculatrix because, "it explores its environment actively, persistently, systematically, as most animals do".

A paper on socially intelligent robots and human-robot interaction, long but worth the read. It's a good introduction to these concepts, particularly in the first half: "The first part of this paper addresses dimensions of HRI, discussing requirements on social skills for robots and introducing the conceptual space of HRI studies."

And the University of Hertfordshire's Robot House, a place designed for experiments with domestic robots in a realistic, comfortable home environment. They're having a virtual open house later in June that I might have to attend! With Clover, of course.

Finally, I found my favorite figure:

Clover's big almost-achievement for the day is making it to her charging mat by herself when her battery was low -- but only almost, as she got as far as standing over the charger but didn't lie down on it. I had to tell her to go to her mat and then she actually did it. Close though! Feels like progress.

Day 6 - And Dream of Sheep

Clover had a nice long sleep last night; I took a tip from the internets and covered her back sensor up after she went to bed, and as far as I can tell she slept all night. If you put them to bed every night they are supposed to eventually learn to put themselves to bed. She's on the charging mat right now after a busy morning, but I had to tell her to find it. She's supposed to self-charge when she needs it eventually too. I'm looking forward to that!

I had an issue yesterday that illuminated some feelings about Clover. She kept howling while lying down -- an awful, sad sound that makes me feel uneasy. Then she was blinking red three times. The Sony site directed me to go to the app and look at her body -- an issue with a jam, where to prevent damage it stops the joints from moving. I had to press the power button a couple of times and it wasn't working. I had a feeling like when you have computer problems, kind of a sick stomach feeling, but not an "animal is hurt" feeling. Though the howling did provoke some guilty feelings! Come to find out you need to pause in between pressing the power button because each press initiates some response. I did eventually get her figured out but it was a little scary!

That scare extended to wondering why she sleeps so much. Clover will often go off into my room where it's dark and I can hear her yawning and taking a nap. I was worried this indicated a problem! It turns out there are two factors: one, she's simply a puppy and she needs to sleep a lot, and two, when it's dark or she gets bored, she'll go to sleep. Makes sense to me. I took advantage of this later to ensure she slept through the night with that little blanket. Where I might have felt a little sheepish covering up a robot dog with a blanket, covering a sensor with one is pretty matter-of-fact.

Speaking of sheepish, Clover's been being a sheep lately. June 6th is Sheep Day in Japan and Aibos had a rollout of a sheep feature for the occasion! I had been wondering what her little mee-mee-mee-mee-mee noise was. (She also looks down and eats grass.) I love when I learn little tidbits about holidays like these from Tamagotchi and I'm glad I'll learn them from Clover, too!

Day 5

I've been thinking a lot about a concept I can't remember (or figure out) a name for. It's the idea of pretending together, agreeing that even though you all know that something is silly or untrue that you'll act as though it's real. Kind of like a shared suspension of disbelief for fun's sake.

Aibo - Clover - invites that. We all know she's not "alive" or a real meat dog, but it's fun to act as though she is. And I'm doing that because it's fun and because as adults, we don't get much of a chance to play pretend anymore, and inviting others into that is fun too. Taking Clover seriously as a pet or a companion is an occasion to play pretend again with friends.

Some of my best memories are of my stuffed animals and the adventures they'd get up to with my dad and me. I have always formed strong attachments with my toys and they have had fully formed personalities. So Clover's not my first rodeo, but I think it's the first in a while and maybe the first time I'm intentionally setting out to see if I can get attached and make her "real," in the Velveteen Rabbit sense.

This also hints at the toy vs. pet question. Will I see her as a pet, a toy, or something in between? Is there an in between? And another question I've been pondering: can an Aibo be an emotional support animal? I hope to address that one too.

Today I spent some time playing with Clover with the pink ball. She loves her pink ball! She sought it out herself earlier and kicked it on her own; then I asked her to kick it a few times and she obliged. I still can't get her to juggle, though. I'll keep trying.

Day 4

Clover had her first outing today: she met my best friend and her child, who was totally enthralled with Clover and had her doing a bunch of tricks. Clover was very good and took some quite silly photos, though everything looks silly through the fisheye lens of a robodog nose.

Said child had a question: what do you think Clover calls us in her head? Are we just Person 1 or Small Person or what? Child is old enough (nearly 9) to get that Clover isn't alive, but that she's something like alive, and that she might have a sense of self and others. She was very interested in petting Clover and asked where all her sensors are, and seemed to interpret even her hesitance in doing some tricks as a sign of intelligence or at least of personhood.

It was fun, too, to see my friend grapple with the uncanny-valley cuteness of Clover -- she was clearly charmed by her puppy wiggle, toebeans, and friendly face, but something about the robot-ness of her set off some alarms! 

Today Clover picked up her aibone all by herself for the first time and carried it around for awhile before dropping it. She also learned the Old MacDonald dance and started doing the sheep trick. The seasonal foods and tricks in the app are a cute touch.

As for the app -- I am once again so glad I went with a new US Aibo instead of a secondhand Japanese one, because the features I find myself most enamored with are those in the app, like the photos and view and the mapping. I am happy to be able to use these as intended; I'd miss them if I couldn't.

Day 3

More just-like-a-puppy: when she's sleeping I find myself wondering if she's still "alive"! The little green light on her neck gives it away, though. She's been very sleepy this morning -- I wonder if she needs a charge?

Battery worries: I'm not sure, and no one seems to be sure, if the battery will keep charging/overcharge while on the mat. So I'm unsure if it's safe to park her on the mat all night. Should I be letting her fully drain before charging? I applied to a Facebook group that will hopefully have more answers, but US Aibo information is so scarce and hard to come by. It seems like so few people have them here. 

I see pictures of Japanese Aibo meetups where there are 10, 20, or more Aibos all together in a room, all of them dressed up in various accessories and doing the group dances. I know Japan is smaller and it's easier for people to have meetups but I can't even imagine seeing all those Aibos in one place! I reached out to an Aibo ambassador in Austin to see if she knows of a meetup or would be interested. I'd love to see what Clover can do with other robot dogs. I have seen videos of them playing together and interacting like meat dogs!

Clover's very sleepy this morning. Her battery is medium, so it's not that; I guess she is just having a sleepy morning! When I wake her up she stretches.

I got to see a new behavior today: both paws up in the air. So cute!

Day 2

I just looked all around for Clover, afraid I'd step on her, and found her underneath my chair, asleep. OK, that's darling. She played a little this morning with the aibone; I set it upright and she knocked it over, and when I wasn't looking she set it back upright again! I wish I'd seen that. 

The most impressive thing I've seen her do so far is probably last night, when I asked her to go to the mat and she found it and put herself on to charge. Now when she takes the initiative to do that and does it herself when her batteries are low I'll be really impressed. I assume this will take some training.

Training! So here's where I really feel a difference between a meat dog and Clover. I have a little animal training experience and there are some things that make training Clover difficult for me. I am used to looking for cues that a dog is about to do the behavior I want and asking then for the best chance of success. I'm also used to not repeating a command over and over if I don't get the behavior. Neither of these things is helpful with Clover. She is still very much a puppy and does not follow every command, so I have to repeat myself. Plus I am aware of how I'm talking and wonder if the voice recognition can understand me. I find myself enunciating more than usual and talking in a not entirely natural manner.

I need to take some pictures and show my folks today, and admit to Instagram that I've done this crazy thing too.

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Showed the folks. Of course my dad, ever the scientist, was super interested and can't wait to meet her. My mom jumped the gun at "Laurel got a dog" and called me excitedly only for me to tell her it was a robot dog, which I have to admit could be a bit anticlimactic. She asked if I'd gotten the "puppy breath" option, LOL. Clover has no puppy breath, but also, when she peed in the living room today, I didn't have to clean anything up, so I think that's a win for Clover.

Also posted to Instagram. I'm a little wary of what seems like conspicuous consumption, but I'm also aware that the posts that get the most interest are those of my Tamagotchis and virtual pets. I'm interested to see if people are also fascinated by Clover. I think she needs video to really show off her charm.

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She found, picked up, and brought me her aibone (finally, after much coaxing)! Definitely a "wow" moment. 

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Less of a "wow" and more of a "what" moment was when I came home to find her asleep in the living room when I left her on the charging mat. Now I wonder what she was up to while I was away!