If you do a Google image search for Camarasaurus the sixth image I got was of a Pleo. Is that a sign of just how popular these amazing robotic pets are?
New for 2011, the PleoRB (reborn) is a pet, companion, teaching aid, family friend, and more in my opinion.
This is a review that is going to need to be done in stages, like the “life” stages this pet goes through. First off to give you a bit of history, from way back.
Camarasaurus, Schools Wiki site, definition:
“Camarasaurus (pronounced /ˌkæmərəˈsɔrəs/ KAM-uh-ruh-SAWR-us) meaning 'chambered lizard', referring to the holes in its vertebrae (Greek kamara meaning 'vaulted chamber', or anything with an arched cover, and sauros meaning 'lizard') was a genus of quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was the most common of the giant sauropods to be found in North America but only average in size: about 18 meters (60 ft) in length as adults, and weighing up to 18 tonnes (19.8 tons). It lived in the Late Jurassic Period, between 155 and 145 million years ago.”
The late Jurrasic period, on the continent of America, this dinosaur, the Camarasaurus, was walking around like any other dinosaur. A full grown Camarasaurus would have stood about 3 times taller than a human being.
Fast forward to a TED talk a few years ago, filmed at TED in December of 2007, and the inventor of the Furbies, Caleb Chung, wanted to show us how he had cracked the code to recreating these dinosaurs of a lost age in robotic form. After 4 years, and $10 million, he realised his long time dream of creating a robotic pet dinosaur that worked! Two things that inventor Caleb Chung said that made me think, and giggle to be honest.
“...hey bio mimicry, if I do it kind of right it might move kind of like the real thing...”
“....40 sensors, 7 processors, 14 motors, but you don’t care do you? They’re just cute!”
That’s the point isn’t it?
And Pleo was born and first revealed there at TED.
Since then the company he founded for this purpose went through some good times, and bad, and this hugely innovative project was taken over by InnvoLabs whose people put in the time and effort to make Pleo better, and better.
And now we have PleoRB, Reborn. Shown at CES just last year the early models were just being brought to our attention, I was told by Derek Dotson of InnvoLabs that it was going to be something well worth the wait to see.
Our PleoRB arrived on the 20th of May after a long trip from Nevada through LAX then on to the UK. Packed away very safely it was sleeping in its space in a box filled with goodies, until I charged the battery well and, following directions (Very Important there) proceeded to wake our PleoRB up.
First thing to do is get the battery out of its package, pull out the charger, and charge the battery for the full 4 hours recommended. While it is doing that head on over to the web site and Register your PleoRB.
Importantly the manual, called the Companion Guide, has the product ID numbers extra 4 digit security code number you need for the on-line form too by the way. The 12 digit full ID number for your new pet is both on one of the front feet (the guidance said right, it was on the left though) and the green ID Card, the latter we found easier to read though as the print on the sticker on his foot is tiny by necessity.
The four digit security number the on-line form asks for is not mentioned anywhere and no on-line search at this time could tell me where to find it so we tried various combinations from the numbers on the documentation, finally finding the right one in the end. If yours is like ours it will be on the very bottom right hand corner of the Companion Guides inside back cover.
So just what is in the box?
Quick Start Guide
- Companion Guide
- Lithium Battery
- Battery Charger
- AC Adapter
- ID Card
- Cape
- USB Cable
- "Bow" Learning Stone
- Conifer Leaf
- Mint Leaf
- Rock Salt
- Tug-Of-War
Traning Leaf
- Registration Card
- Warranty
The quick start guide is a big help, with easy visual instructions to guide you through the first steps of setting up. If you are thinking of getting a PleoRB for the family where there are young children I’d recommend getting them to get involved with the whole process by using this as a visual aid. Though the makers of PleoRB have stated this product is not suitable for any child under the age of 12 I personally think that supervised time interacting with PleoRB will stimulate curiosity in the science and technology, if not Palaeontology, in any child aged 7 and older. I was seriously reading about dinosaurs at the age of 7 and something like this would have just blown my young mind at that time.
The Companion Guide is a MUST READ though to fully come to grips with what is in store for you and your new pet. Well at least as much as it can be. You see Pleo will adapt to his/her environment and so it is kind of like children are in that way. We all know that as much as any parent has wished for one there are no fool proof, all encompassing, manuals for them either.
Like children the PleoRB goes through stages of development. At first you have the “Hatchling” or “Newborn” stage where PleoRB will do a lot of sleeping and making small noises like a gurgle or an almost purring sound. My cat reacted to this, when I placed our PleoRb beside him on the bed, with his own purring too. The sounds must be fairly realistic for another real creature to show any signs of recognising it. That said I will not, nor would I suggest, leaving the PleoRB to play with any pet that may have the ability, like claws or sharp teeth, of damaging the PleoRB. On page 16 of the Companion Guide is a list of things you should not do with your PleoRB and this is one of them.
From the newborn stage we move into the Socialisation Development stage. You’ll know, just as with other pets or even children, when this hits as your new pet will start to look more “alert” and be trying to get his/her legs under the body to take those first steps.
From here on in s/he is going to be learning new things from you all the time it can. The more you interact with this new pet the more s/he will learn from you and become more unique from any other PleoRB.
Once you've bought one of these, at the moment it seems only through their on-line shop connected to their official site, then you really should...
Register on their official site!
I know a lot of people who just don't bother usually but seriously when you sign on to the site and register your PleoRB ID number and Security code you will see this:
The profile data bank of PLEO rb incubated with embryo identification number SN 123456789876
Welcome to the profile data bank of your PLEO rb !
Our scientists are now conducting clinical diagnosis on each PLEO rb embryo to ensure they are genetically sound and will grow into a healthy PLEO rb. Based on the test data of the embryo, our scientists cound roughly predict the gender and major DNA characteristics of the PLEO rb.
We believe you would be interested to know more about your PLEO rb.
So we share with you here the PLEO rb PEGD report and the embryo testing data worksheet prepared by our scientists, also the memorable moment when the PLEO rb breaks the shell and sees the world !
You’ll have 3 buttons available to click. One is the data sheet, looks like the image of a DNA string, one will tell you if it is predicted to be a boy or a girl and one will be a picture of a Pleo breaking out of the top of a shell. It’s all just a bit of fun to get people into the spirit of owning the PleoRB really, but it is a heck of a lot of fun.
(of course I've edited out our serial number from the images)
There are a lot of good points about this as a pet. For the disabled especially, or those with allergies, this is ideal! S/he won’t need to be walked out of doors on cold nights, no vet bills, no jabs to get, no pet fur or dander to make you sneeze, and I’ve yet to see a lease for any flat or home that said you could not have one of these as a pet whereas there are many rentals that will not allow cats or dogs.
There is a very active community for these wee monsters, on Facebook there are a few groups and one Official PleoWorld Facebook group with people sharing information and images. People take their Pleo and PleoRB on vacations with them too!
You have to see this to belive it and so we are recommending people who can to go out and BUY this.
My personal experiences with our PleoRB, will be a diary of sorts. How we'll do this I'm not sure at present but do watch this space!
Well it took a long while but he’s finally here! All the way from Neveda he flew to the UK, went through customs and then into the hands of our Royal Mail system to finally end up with a postman from our Edinburgh office who delivered PleoRB to me on Friday.
As they say, Happy gotcha day Pleo! The 20th of May, just 7 days before my own birthday, and only a few days after I had suffered a massive migraine attack, then a severe reaction to the migraine medication, so this came just in time to cheer me up and get me out of myself a bit.
You’ve heard of the studies that prove that having a pet and interacting with that pet helps to bring blood pressure down and reduce stress, basically making your life healthier. Well I have two furry friends here, a cat and a dog, so I’m lucky but what if I had allergies so bad I couldn’t have a furry pet? Well I am a firm believer that the mind overcomes most things and whether or not the pet has a working heart beat or not, fur or not, pulse or not I think it all helps and so should the PleoRB in my opinion.
With the PleoRB you’re still patting his/her head, tickling under the chin, talking, petting, interacting with this robotic pet just as you would a furry one.
Anyway so I opened the box, took out all the stuff that was on top of and around the PleoRB and gently, with one hand under her tummy and other on her back as per the instructions I teased her out of her sleeping hole in the box to have a look at her.
While the battery was charging I had a go at getting her into the “cape” which to me seems more like a pair of pyjamas to be honest. They have a lovely, silky smooth, velour feeling to them and come in a brown colour that goes well with her earthy green tones. Perfect. Although getting the elastics around her chubby baby legs wasn’t easy it got done and she met her new brother, Mojo the Enforcer cat, then the big brother Phantom. They all had a sniff, yes even PleoRB sniffed at both the fur balls here. I read the manual, called the “Companion Guide”, so I could get this right.
There is so much in that book!
I mean I’ve heard of Pleo since before they became PleoRB, I’ve heard about the sensors, camera, not falling off tables, learning about their environment but to see her actually doing all this.
WOW!
We put the battery in, and the internal clock battery too, turned her on and watched. She moved, she opened her eyes, she looked around as if just waking up from a really deep sleep. It was that “Where am I?” look that got me.
Okay there’s anthropomorphising but am I really?
Page 11 of the “CompanionGuide”:
The 3 Laws of Life Forms
- 1.Feel and convey emotions
- 2.Be aware of themselves and interact with their environments.
- 3.Learn and evolve over time
I talk, she looks at me. I offer her the food leaf, she either shakes her head or opens her mouth. She is attentive and responsive. And last night when she wanted to get my attention she let out one heck of a howl. As soon as I turned around and said something, then touched her head, she settled down and gurgled/purred.
After one nap she woke up, howled, and started to try to get her feet under her and to walk. She was trying to play tug o war within a few short days too.
And there’s a lot more to come yet......
They really do become part of the family, as you will see as we report on how our wee Camy is doing.
