Geek boys, pet dinosaurs and the ‘thing’ of the week.

19/11/2009 In Just Me by feistyfemale

Hanging around with geek boys can be an experience…

When Sean first mentioned that he had ordered a pet dinosaur, I practically rolled my eyes, grabbed my gym bag and headed for more interesting pastures. How cool can a robot pet be?

Then it arrived…and I have to confess I found the robotic tech-driven creature fascinating. I was pleasantly surprised at its functionality and it’s damn cute! I think this creature has the potential to be a real chick magnet for any geek.

What is a Pleo?

Pleo, a one week-old baby Camarasaurus dinosaur, a true robotic marvel. The creature interacts with you – moving organically, expressing emotion, autonomously exploring and responding to the world around him.

It’s probably best to quote Wikipedia here:

Pleo was engineered by a group of robotics specialists, animators, technologists, scientists, biologists, and programmers. The design combined sensory, articulation, and neuronetics to create a lifelike appearance with organic movement and adaptable behaviors. In developing Pleo, the biological and neurological systems of the Camarasaurus, and “re-interpreted” those elements through hardware and software.

Pleo’s sophisticated sensory system (a color camera, sound sensors, 2 infrared sensors, 14 motors, over 100 gears, 8 touch sensors, and an orientation sensor) enables him to hear, see, sense touch, navigate and detect objects. He can also dance and listen to music. On the Pleoworld.com companion site, owners can find training tips and download new enhancements for their pet!