*By Amanda Weston and Hope King* After more than a decade in the doghouse, Sony's walking, barking, and ー admit it ー charming robotic pup is bounding toward the U.S. The tech giant announced Thursday it's relaunching Aibo, what Sony dubs an "artificial intelligence robot." The dog's new OLED eyes are able to follow its owner around a room and use facial recognition to identify family members, up to 100 faces in all. "We're all a little busy, right? So taking care of a live animal can be quite a commitment,” Mike Fasulo, president and COO of Sony Electronics, said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar. A.I. makes it possible for Aibo to learn new tricks by interacting with its owners and develop a personality of its own. Aibo should detect its owners’ moods, knowing when to approach or leave them alone, Fasulo said. This type of “memory” is what distinguishes this sixth-generation robot from predecessors. “What I say is artificial intelligence meets robotics, but with a personality," Fasulo said of his product. Aibo originally debuted in Japan in 1999, cultivating a massive fan base. Within 20 minutes, all [3,000 units had sold out](https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/10/technology/sony-aibo-robot-dog-ces-2018/index.html). The product was discontinued in 2006, and some grieving owners staged [elaborate funerals](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/05/01/national/japan-aibo-robots-get-funeral/#.W37F2-hKg2w) for their fallen pets. Since Sony debuted the rebooted Aibo in Japan this spring, it has sold 20,000 units. “We were pleasantly surprised,” Fasulo said. “It exceeded our expectations.” As for the company’s forecasts for the U.S., Fasulo said Sony plans to take a slower approach, preferring to keep the product as a limited, exclusive bundle. But it's not cheap. The “Aibo First Litter Edition” carries a $2,899 price tag, and includes some pet accessories and a three-year “A.I. Cloud Plan.” When the product launched in Japan earlier this year, the cost was about $1,800, with an additional fee of $27 a month or $800 for three years. The subscription plan allows for future software updates and connectivity, which provides value to customers over time, Fasulo said. "This isn’t a product that we’re going mass market with and try to push for revenue,” he said. Some of the planned updates include streaming video through the camera in Aibo’s nose, allowing the bots to act as watchdogs. Sony, not unlike many other hardware-first companies, sees its future tied to more recurring services. According to Fasulo, Aibo represents many different parts of the company: entertainment, image sensory, and “a combination of a lot of capabilities.” It's all part of the vision of Sony’s new CEO [Kenichiro Yoshida’s](http://fortune.com/2018/02/02/sony-ceo-kaz-hirai-kenichiro-yoshida/) ー fusing what both creators and users can do. Fasulo, who has been with Sony for 34 years, believes Aibo is a big step for the company and the consumer electronics industry as a whole. "I would compare it to \[the\] Walkman. Revolutionary, evolutionary,” he said. “It's not your everyday robot. It's really a companion and a deep learning device." Aibo dogs will be available for "adoption" this September. For full interview [click here] (https://cheddar.com/videos/sony-brings-robotic-pup-aibo-to-the-u-s).
