Sony Creates An Aibo 'Foster Program' To Refurbish And Re-Home Aging Robot Dogs

Back in 2018, Sony released an updated version of the Aibo, a surprisingly advanced robotic dog designed to simulate the behaviors of a real canine as much as possible. It was a major release, as it was a full a revival of the original Aibo that had launched back in the 1990s — flanked with marketing and cameo appearances in Japanese television shows like "Kamen Rider Zero-One." 

Unfortunately, Aibos are very expensive, costing around $2,900 USD. Even those who can afford to get one in the first place may not be able to keep up with its maintenance and upkeep. For these pre-owned Aibo units, Sony is looking to get them in touch with some new, happy homes.

In a new press release on the official Aibo website, Sony announced that it would be launching an "Aibo Foster Parent" program for those who have lapsed out of their Aibo cloud subscription plans and lost a portion of the device's functionality. The program is designed to not only bring these older Aibo units back up to snuff, but send them off to homes and services where they'll be properly loved and cared for.

ERS-1000 Aibo units that are donated to the Foster Parent program will first be checked out by Sony technicians, who will service and repair the robot dogs as necessary to get them back into the proper working order. 

Once the Aibo is working again, businesses in need of non-traditional emotional support animals can pay an as-of-yet undisclosed fee to purchase the dog and keep it on their premises. In the event that an Aibo unit is too damaged or degraded to be fully repaired by the Sony techs, it will instead be scrapped and have its working parts used to service other Aibo units.

Aibo units have documented applications as emotional support animal surrogates, so this program could be used to get them where they could best serve that purpose, such as hospitals, nursing homes, foster homes, and more. 

This could be especially beneficial for environments housing individuals who are either allergic to or uncomfortable with real dogs. Plus, as an added bonus, the program helps to cut down on e-waste produced from junking the robots.

Recruitment for the first wave of Aibo Foster Parents, according to the press release, is set to begin in December of 2023. The first wave of Aibo donations has already begun.