Sony to Publish Aibo Specifications

teambpsi writes: "According to this CNN news report... 'In addition to the new hardware, the company has also begun publishing details of Aibo's system architecture on the Internet in an attempt to get developers to work on independent software for Aibo and generate more interest in the products.' This from the same company that used the DMCA as reported here on slashdot last fall to shutdown one fan/hack site."

Comments

Some smart people at Sony.

[smcavoy]

I think initially they were worried about loss of control/dilution of their product. Now I think they realize just how powerful having open specs on their product can be. Instead of having to hire dozens of progammers/managers/support personal, they can rely on the opensource community.
Now if they had a program where by developers got cheaper units, in return for producing code...... that would catch like wild fire, for the shear coolness factor :)

Bit of a repeat...

[WEFUNK]

Good to see the fact that they are opening up their architecture reported in a mainstream story, but this is really a repeat of an earlier posting that had some really good links to the developer site and some of the hacker sites:

Teach An Old Aibo New Tricks

Re:Bit of a repeat...

[M-G]

yeah, but it takes so long to do a search and see if pretty much the same story was posted a few days ago...

Or maybe the fall season has ended at Slashdot and we're into reruns....

Re:Bit of a repeat...

[56ker]

Not every /.er reads every story anyway - so even if it is a repeat it'll be new to some of us.

Aibo Virus

[mr_gerbik]

I'm going to write an Aibo virus that should prove quite profitable... here is a brief rundown of the algorithm for those interested.

1) Direct Aibo to pick up its things (manuals, charger, etc)

2) Walk Aibo from owners house to my house carrying its things.

3) Take picture of itself and post a listing on ebay.

4) Wait for auction ending and payment.

5) Walk to new owners house.

6) Repeat.

Not making money on the software

[inkfox]

Originally, Sony had intended to make money on the additional software cards available for the Aibo. This simply hasn't happened. People have been buying one card with the Aibo and leaving it at that.

If you're looking for Sony's motivation in opening the specifications, I believe it's here. In the absence of additional software sales, Sony sees opening the platform as a method for selling additional hardware.

With the new approach, you can sure bet that Sony is going to put off the price drops that had been part of the plan for the second generation Aibos for some time. There's good money to be had in finding a new audience at the current pricing before Sony tries to earn new customers with a price break.

Re:Not making money on the software

[foniksonik]

"If you're looking for Sony's motivation in opening the specifications, I believe it's here. In the absence of additional software sales, Sony sees opening the platform as a method for selling additional hardware."

If only the Computer hardware makers would see this exact same point as well... we'd see the last of Windows, well for a while at least.

Other than as a toy does it have an actual use?

[KernelHappy]

Maybe we'll see AIBOs actually used for something useful. A snip here, bolt there and maybe you can turn your aibo into the ultimate chimney sweep. Anyone have useful ideas for an AIBO other than as a toy?

Re:Other than as a toy does it have an actual use?

[binaryDigit]

Lets see,

- sample some large dog (presa canario, ouch, sorry about that) barking and turn it into a real nasty sounding guard dog.

- get it to fetch your newspaper (you have to train it to go outside and look for the thing and then pick it up and return), that should be an interesting project.

- attach a gps unit to it and have it give you directions while driving (two woofs means left turn ahead, three mean right).

- teach it to go into CompUSA, attach itself to a PowerMac, and download software.

- and finally, two words, beowolf cluster!

Re:Other than as a toy does it have an actual use?

[Monkelectric]

I work at a visual systems research lab, and we *had* planned to use them in research. They are on par with the cost of building our own robots (1500$ worth of parts + untold labor hours), or buying premade ones (2500 - 5000$). And its just damn cool. We ended up gettin a trilobot instead, but I think the aibo was actually more capable.

Re:Other than as a toy does it have an actual use?

[foniksonik]

"- teach it to go into CompUSA, attach itself to a PowerMac, and download software."

Didn't you see? It is going to have Bluetooth connectivity and with all the new Macs including Bluetooth soon... no need to attach. Just send the little bugger in there and get it within like 15 ft. and you're set. ;p Course you may want to mod it with wheels or 'teach' it how to self-destruct when caught...

finally...

[benfoldsfan]

finally, now someone can program the aibo to play counter-strike with me and it can replace my 7 year old brother

Re:finally...

[jred]

Isn't CounterStrike pg13??? How dare you subject him to such violence. Let's throw some murderer out of jail to make room for you, immediately!!!

Give 'em another chance :)

[Black_Logic]

This from the same company that used the DMCA as reported here on slashdot last fall to shutdown one fan/hack site."

I wouldn't critisize them for taking a turn for the better. On the other hand, how many chances should mega-corps get. :) So, screw 'em!

reformed?????

[www.sorehands.com]

Are they really reformed? Or did they find lacking interest and think we may be able to develop interest in it for them by writting some neat stuff for it.

How do we know that they won't try to shut down someone doing something that they don't expect or like later?

Fool me once, shame on you....Fool me twice, shame on me.

Re:reformed?????

[GlassHeart]

Are they really reformed?

That makes no difference. What you need to understand is that the corporate interest is in maximum profit, while the consumer interest is in having the best product most cheaply. These are not fundamentally incompatible, but are also not necessarily compatible. If there's something you want a corporation to do (clean up oil slick, open source code, etc), show them how it is in their interest to do so.

How do we know that they won't try to shut down someone doing something that they don't expect or like later?

By assuming they will. Specifically, this means you should go download a copy of whatever Sony publishes, and keep it around in case they change their minds and yank it from their website.

Sony, or any other large corporation, is not a single entity. Managers and policies change all the time. Get used to it.

Re:reformed?????

[martyn s]

But if we're not going to treat them like real people, and not hold them accountable, and admit that they are purely profit-driven, and are only doing they see this might improve their situation, then you shouldn't then be like "oh, we should give them the benefit of the doubt" or some crap like that. You give "the benefit of the doubt" to real people, real people who can be held accountable. But you seem to throw accountability out the window when you say stuff like they're profit driven, so "true" reformation is impossible. So, therefore, let's stop pretending that we're going to hurt their feelings or something, because, as you're contending, they're only profit-driven and if their move will dredge up some profit, they will go forward, otherwise they won't.

Let's stop pretending that patting them on the back or ranking on them is actually going to make a difference. What do you think? That they come here and when they see our applause, they'll feel good inside and continue to do nice things? Like you said, they're profit driven corporations and our benefit of the doubt is not going to make a whit of a difference. Get with it.

how about making it cheap?

[mangu]

The reason why I don't hack an Aibo is because I cannot afford one, not because I don't have the API specs. Reverse engineering hardware is not hard, if its cost is so low that one doesn't mind risking breaking it.

Re:how about making it cheap?

[MonsterChicharo]

The reason why I don't hack an Aibo is because I cannot afford one, not because I don't have the API specs. Reverse engineering hardware is not hard, if its cost is so low that one doesn't mind risking breaking it.

The opposite also applies. There are people like myself who don't mind spending some money on this kind of toys if the APIs are clearly outlined and the investment is not easily lost after some tweaking.

Heard at Sony....

[wowbagger]

"So, how are the sales of the Aibo?"

"Lousy. People finally figured out that paying thousands of dollars for a toy dog that doesn't do very much is a losing proposition."

"Hmm.. How can we create buzz and get people with too much money to buy it again?"

"I KNOW! We'll open-source it!"

Economics of double standard

[kyoko21]

Funny.

When a powerful company such as Sony feels that a grass root movement will cut into their profit, they automatically take legal actions against them. Yet in the same token, because they are all-so powerful, they can just turn the other cheek and for those who has suffered from the legal battles, now they are asked to come back and help them to raise interests in a product that they originally were discouraged from using?

I think this could be described by the lyrics of Naughty by Nature: Everything gonna be alright:

Drop that, and now you want me to rap and give?
Say somethin' positive? Well positive isn't where I lived

I say eat this Sony! I'd like to see some form of apology!!!

When they stop crashing computers playing CDs...

[JohnTheFisherman]

...then I will consider them reformed. Not yet. It's a principle thing - I have no urge to listen to the new Celine Dion. ;)

The Celine Dion CD. Fuck me.

[DarkZero]

The Celine Dion CD is from Sony. I was not aware of this and I stand corrected. If you have moderator points, please do me a favor and mod the stupid crap that I wrote above right down into obscurity.

Sony STILL != Open

[SubtleNuance]

See this post i made to the last sony article.

Anyone interested in an open, co-operative robotics platform please see that post instead.

Don't forget Sony's Music Division

[x-empt]

Sony, as a record company, is still using things like the DMCA to force destructive and damaging music cds into the consumer world. Sony is one of the biggest backers of "copy protection" schemes... the same ones that can be "anti-copy protected" by marking the outer track of the CD with a sharpie marker.

Just because Sony is swinging one way in regards to their doggie, who's specs were already freely available through reverse engineering, doesn't mean you should sway your opinion of them and think that they are a changed company. Sony is a VERY dangerous company... Possibly fourth behind Microsoft, AOL-Timewarner, and the Bells.

It's called the Vibe-inu

[Jeremy Erwin]

I haven't been able to find pictures-- but an article is available here. No pics, though.

Secret keys in Aibo

[jsse]

Like vendors revealing to public the secret keys to bring up secret characters in games in a hope to boost sales. What we'd see in Aibo's spec:

Tip its left ears, clap left left right right up up up up down up down down down - THERE YOU GET A SUPER-AIBO WITH A STRANGE SYMBOL ON ITS BACK!!!!

I wonder why...

[evilpaul13]

Now they can just accuse anyone who releases software for it that they don't approve of of violating the DMCA and not fulfilling the restrictive EULA they place on the specs. Call me a pessimist, but history seems to be screaming that in my ear.

Re:I like sony engineers -- don't like their lawye

[Tazzy531]

Not necessarily "more efficient than oil," but Hybrid-electric cars will dramatically increase the miles per gallon for the cars and also reduce pollution. Back in March, the oil companies and car companies lobbied congress to kill a bill that gave rebates for buying a hybrid car.