Skateboarding AIBO

psyconaut writes "Sony continues it's line of robotic pets with a new accessory: a $249 skateboard! Why on earth you'd actually want your AIBO to zoom around on a skateboard is another question. The U.S. AIBO site has it here, but the thing looks more impressive on the Japanase AIBO site. Other new AIBO products also seem to include, FINALLY, a self charging station so AIBO can feed himself."

Comments

A bit expensive is n't it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ok I know AIBO is not exactly cheap, but $249 for a skateboard?

the geek mantra

[Theodore Logan]

Why on earth you'd actually want your AIBO to zoom around on a skateboard is another question.

If there was ever a question to which "because you can" is the answer, this is it.

i dont get it?

[Pan_God_of_Gods]

It Looks to me like it pushes it self along with its legs...couldnt you get the same effrct with a piece of ply wood and some skateboard wheels?

uhhh

[nomadic]

Why on earth you'd actually want your AIBO to zoom around on a skateboard is another question.

The first question is, "why would you buy an Aibo in the first place?".

Seriously, forget AIBO

[SexyKellyOsbourne]

...And go down to your local humane society and adopt a puppy instead.

For the price of the skateboard, you could have everything taken care of, including shots, and for the price of an AIBO, you would have enough money to feed it for its lifetime.

Though they probably will never be able to skateboard, a warm, loving puppy with emotions and feelings will warm your heart in ways a cheesy, overpriced piece of plastic toy cannot.
We are losing our humanity with our silly toys, and we need to get back to real feelings of love and joy.

Many dogs aren't euthanized -- they are instead killed for sport by sadists who run the pound. Right now, there is a mistreated, lonely, and cold dog in your town's pound that is meant for you -- go out and adopt it.

Re:Seriously, forget AIBO

[nathanh]

Though they probably will never be able to skateboard, a warm, loving puppy with emotions and feelings will warm your heart in ways a cheesy, overpriced piece of plastic toy cannot.

What sickens me is the people who do keep pets and then treat them poorly. And I don't mean not feeding them. I mean not paying attention to them. Keeping them in cramped quarters. Giving them nothing to do while the owner spends half their time at work and the other half their time at the club or on holiday.

A dog living in an apartment slowly goes insane. It's like shutting a human inside a broom closet. Even worse are the people who get active dogs - heelers and such - and then keep them cooped up inside small backyards. This is pure hell for a dog. They might as well tie the dog to a stake during the day and kick it when they get home.

Most people do not know how to look after a dog. I'm fully supportive of AIBO because it reduces the number of animals who have to suffer at the hands of inconsiderate idiots who wanted a "warm loving puppy" without considering the responsibilities that comes with a pet.

Re:Seriously, forget AIBO

[andrewski]

In my area, the Animal Humane Society is not run by sadists who kill for sport. It is staffed mostly by volunteers who love animals, even the vets who have to euthanize the ones that don't get adopted. The vast majority of animals who aren't adopted have behavioral problems (like uncontrolled fits of violence) which would pretty much prevent them being adopted by 99.99999999999% of the folks out there.

I don't know where you are from, but I seriously doubt that your pound is run by bloodsport dog-fighting crazies.

I agree, however, with you that people should adopt animals.

The real criminals here are pet stores, which keep the "puppy mills" in business. If you want a dog, get it from a breeder that lives with and loves their animals, or the pound. NEVER a pet store.

Re:Seriously, forget AIBO

[aussersterne]

Every single one is a pit bull. These "vicious dogs" have all come from extremely abusive backgrounds, yet all of them are nice and sweet.

Pit Bulls are beautiful and very social animals which don't deserve the bad rap they've been given by the people who train and mistreat them to behave badly. Some of my favorite dogs in the neighborhood are gentle, tail-wagging, very obedient (even to me, and I'm not the owner of any of them) pit bulls.

The same goes for dogs in general, I think. Because any number of breeds can be very large and powerful, dogs are huge targets for abusive training.

I had a girlfriend once who was terrified of dogs because she'd come from a background in which she'd encountered a number of dogs who had been trained to be killers and fighters by people who were less-than-upstanding members of society. She'd escaped her ugly upbringing and made herself into a pretty, functional college girl, but she hated dogs as long as I was with her and couldn't even be in the same room even with my parents' Beagles when we went to visit without ending up in nervous tears.

I'm with you. I have no real point beyond proposing that the world is really pretty unfair to dogs.

That's not a skateboard

[sammaytg1]

That's not a skateboard. IT's a scooter of some type. on the website It is called a speedboard. It looks somewhat like a snakeboard but thr is no way it oculd be used to do any tricks (at least not without a pretty major ramp). TRicks are the main reason a lot of people skate and it just doesn't seem possible with this accesory