Random Technology… Furbys and Pleos!
Posted by Mr. Buracas on 2009-09-25
Caleb Chung is the inventor of, among other things, the Furby.
Today on Random Technology Friday ™, my robotics classes watched a TED Talk by Chung in which he showed his process of design, moving from concept to a final product.
His newest toy is an animatronic robot called PLEO. Here it is.
But it’s much more than just a robot. From the Wiki:
Pleo is an animatronic dinosaur toy designed to emulate the appearance and (imagined) behavior of a week-old baby Camarasaurus. It was designed by Caleb Chung, the co-creator of the Furby, Chung’s company Ugobe sold pleo and was manufactured by jetta. Chung selected this species of dinosaur because its body shape, stocky head, and relatively large cranium made it ideal for concealing the sensors and motors needed for lifelike animation. According to Ugobe, each Pleo would “learn” from its experiences and environment through a sophisticated artificial intelligence and develop an individual personality.
Everything about this company smells of “fun”. Take a lok at their news release that addresses issues about Plea’s durability and waranty:
The evolution of Pleo progresses – just like in nature, Pleo occasionally suffers from life’s minor ailments.
- At times, Pleo’s skin suffers from fading and cracking – ouch!
- Pleo’s “wake-up” mode can be too short and Pleo can get exhausted much too soon.
- Some of the neck and tail tendons can break after rough play which can result in restricted motion and cause Pleo pain.
To address these issues, Innvo Labs “Life Form Scientist” began work in June to improve Pleo’s physical condition. And, after a few months of concentrated effort the Innvo Labs Team has made great progress to cure Pleo’s ills.
- The “Dino-Skin” specialists have successfully modified Pleo’s skin to improve its texture, pigmentation and toughness. Now Pleo is thrilled to have new improved skin to show off.
- The “Food-Energy” specialists have implanted a new “Revival Power Recovery System” in the form of a high efficiency charger. Now after one 16 hour recharging, Pleo is ready to resume normal activities at a much higher level.
- The “Dino-Orthopedics” specialists have redesigned the neck and tail sections to remove a previously detected “spur” that was causing wear issues so Pleo’s range of movement and toughness is greatly improved.
Sounds like a cool company to work for.
