Pleo Dinosaur - A Ugobe Life Form

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Pleo Dinosaur - A Ugobe Life Form
List Price: $349.99
Buy New: $289.99

Technical Details

Sophisticated sensory system with nearly 40 devices enable sight, touch, and autonomous movement
Robotic wonder explores and reacts to environment, interacts with you, and expresses emotion
Life OS platform of tools, technologies and AI combine to create an expressive whole that forms a unique personality
Includes a rechargeable NiMH battery and multiple built-in data ports, and is backed by a manufacturer's 90-day warranty
Weighs 3.5 pounds, measures 6 x 7.5 x 20.7 inches (W x H x D), and is suited to everyone ages 8 and up

Customer Review

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
A pretty good start..., December 31, 2007
By Shawn Tracy
We've had our Pleo for four days now and we love him--when he's awake!

Pleo is a cunningly cute robotic toy that has a very "1.0" feel about it. For better and/or worse, you can tell that some envelopes are being pushed here. The baby dino can feel touches, knows when it is upside-down, and can "see" with a small camera in his snout. Supposedly it can hear but apparently not very well.

First the good news: Pleo behaves with a good degree of "intelligence". He will purr like a kitten and growl like a puppy; he responds to being petted or stroked under the chin. His reactions are a bit slow but generally appropriate. He won't walk off the edge of a table, although he *will* back off. He knows when something is in his mouth and will make feeding sounds or, if you jostle him, he will growl and play tug-of-war. His skill at tug-of-war is a highlight.

Also, if you decide to get a Pleo, be aware that the first few times you turn it on, it will be in a "newborn" state--sleepy and uncoordinated, wanting only to be petted. So some patience is required. It seems to take a few days for the robot to become fully active and more independant.

The bad: In current form, the battery life is frustratingly poor. Put simply, your Pleo will be an inanimate object 3/4 of the time. If your battery recharges correctly--mine overheats about half-way through--you will need to wait 3 or 4 hours to get an hour of activity from Pleo. (I knew this going in, but somehow the reality of it is worse than I expected.) Even when charged, our Pleo needs constant attention or he will quickly curl up for a nap! I understand that battery issues were responsible for the release date being pushed back by many months. A robot this aware and active obviously places great demands on the battery; it would be nice if two were included or at least available!

I debated on how many stars to give Pleo. In the end, I think it deserves 4 stars, even if only for potential. (As I typed this he walked to the desk leg and spent a minute exploring it with his camera, making sniffing noises. Then he nudged it with his snout and made a frustrated sound.) I hope that Ugobe will find a (much) better solution to the battery problem, and they have promised free software updates in the coming months.