AIBO is a series of robotic dogs designed and manufactured by Sony. Sony announced a prototype Aibo in mid-1998, and the first consumer model was introduced on 11 May 1999. New models were released every year until 2006. Although most models were dogs, other inspirations included lion cubs, huskies, Jack Russell terriers, bull terrier, and space explorers. Only the ERS-7, ERS-110/111 and ERS-1000 versions were explicitly a "robotic dog", but the 210 can also be considered a dog due to its Jack Russell Terrier appearance and face.
In 2006, AIBO was added into the Carnegie Mellon University Robot Hall of Fame.
Two AIBO prototypes and transparent ERS-7
ERS-111
ERS-1000
QRIOs watch AIBOs at a Robocup event.
The Robot Hall of Fame, established by Carnegie Mellon University in 2003, honors significant robots in science, society, and technology. The organization was established in 2003 by the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as an acknowledgement of Pittsburgh's achievements in the field of robotics and with the aim of creating a broader awareness of the contributions of robotics in society. The idea for the Robot Hall of Fame was conceived by Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science dean James H. Morris, who described it as a means of honoring "robots that have served an actual or potentially useful function and demonstrated real skill, along with robots that entertain and those that have achieved worldwide fame in the context of fiction." The first induction ceremony was held at the Kamin Science Center on November 10, 2003. 34 robots – both real and fictional – have been inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame since its inception. An exhibit named Roboworld was present at the Kamin Science Center from June 2009 until June 2022, featuring a physical embodiment of the hall of fame. Now some of them may be found in the lobby of Rangos Giant Cinema.
Replica of the Metropolis character Maria on display at the Kamin Science Center
ASIMO, inducted in 2004
AIBO, inducted in 2006
Opportunity, inducted in 2010