Pleo Robotic Dinosaur

One of 2007's hottest gadgets is undoubtedly the Pleo Robotic Dinosaur, which is available on pre-order from Find Me A Gift.



Pleo has been dubbed as "the world's first lifeform" which is most certainly an understatement.
 
So what's so special about Pleo the Robotic Dinosaur, from UGOBE?

Pleo is based on the long extinct Camarasaurus ("KAM-ah-rah-sawr-us" meaning "Chambered Lizard"), a dinosaur from the Jurassic period. UGOBE's designers have developed Pleo to have the same weight and be the same size as a one-week old infant Camarasaurus determined from fossils. Camarasaurus were born and raised in giant fern forests, and evolved developing camouflage that allowed them to blend with their environment of ferns and moss.

Pleo is as real and authentic as they come. He has been engineered to be as interactive as possible. He is packed with gadgets, sensors and electronics to make him as lifelike as possible. Treat him gently like any other living thing.

Here's a video:



He has sensors for sight, sound and touch. This means Pleo can learn the environment he is in. He reacts to you stroking him. He'll nibble your finger if you put it near his mouth. He can sense you when you are close to him.

If this isn't enough for the dinosaur, Pleo grows and develops based on your interaction. If you pet him a lot, he grows to need attention. His behaviour and personality will be different to every other Pleo as he becomes unique to you. He is eager to learn and wants to explore. He will be cautious when he walks to the edge of a table for example. He may cry when he is frightened or stomp his foot for food when hungry. He even stretches when he first wakes up!

Pleo is also expressive. He can exhibit signs of happiness, sadness, anger and annoyance. When he becomes tired, he becomes drowsy. Her can yawn, sign, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, cough, hiccup and snore!

Have more than one Pleo? They interact! So much so that they can transmit colds as Pleo can sneeze!

As for power, Pleo is powered by a battery that can recharge whilst he sleeps.

You can pre-order Pleo at Find Me A Gift. He retails for around £250 though some catalogue companies are charging as much as £300 for him. The UK release date seems to be around early December 2007, with different websites reporting different dates.

Source: Find Me A Gift