Hacker News Reader

Comment by mynameisvlad | Hacker News Reader

Damn, even years later it's still prohibitively expensive. 198k yen (~2k USD) and 90k yen (~900 USD) lifetime or 2980 yen (~30 USD) per month for the "basic plan" which is required for the AI services.

View on HN

That does seem to be a lot of money for what seems to be just a gadget. However, it's more than that. It's a robot substitute for a dog. The estimated cost of owning a real dog over its lifetime is approximately $27,000 - $42,000.

It's hard not to think of Do Androids Dream of Human Sheep when I see Aibo

But it's not, really. At this point it's nowhere near advanced enough to actually replace a dog, and, honestly, I don't think it even replaces 1/10th of a dog, which might justify it's ~$3k lifetime price tag.

Don't get me wrong, I want this to succeed. I live in an apartment and work in an office that doesn't allow pets. I want more than anything to have a dog but stop myself because it'd be cruel even with doggy daycare and Rover. A robot dog would be perfect for me. But this is nowhere close to a robot dog.

> A robot dog would be perfect for me. But this is nowhere close to a robot dog.

It is a robot dog. It is a very imperfect, artificial representation of a dog that doesn't really replace the real thing. It's just cheaper and more convenient than the real thing. If you've ever read Philip K Dick's short story, everyone longs for a real pet as opposed to fake robotic ones.

Of course this may change as technology progresses.

> The estimated cost of owning a real dog over its lifetime is approximately $27,000 - $42,000.

Wat? Our dog takes about $30 worth of food per month. Annual vet visits total about $150 (including heartworm meds). If it lives to be 15, we're looking at about a $10,000 lifetime investment. If she got really sick and needed a $5,000 surgery, it'll still be about half the cost of your low end estimate.

Also, my dog loves to cuddle. While Aibo can do some things my dog can't, my dog can do many, many things that Aibo never will.

What about hiring a dog walker, someone to take care of it when you're away, grooming, training, etc?

What about them? Why even own a dog in that case?

I don't follow. Plenty of people hire a dog walker for when they are at work. And go on vacation for a couple of weeks over the course of a year. Should that disqualify them as dog owners?

Some people don't need a dog walker (someone is home), grooming for short-hair breeds may just involve the occasional bath, some dogs tolerate toenail clippings easily, and you can do your own training with a little time and love.

So costs can vary wildly depending on your situation.

I suppose that was my perspective. We can wash our Boston terrier when she gets grubby, and she lets us cut her nails. She doesn't need any other grooming. She also practically trained herself too, and happily sleeps in her cage (or "den") while we're not at home during the day.

So sure, even living in the Bay Area, we're probably on the low end of average maintenance. But I also know a huge number of Midwest outdoor dogs that eat Ol' Roy food and don't see a vet unless they get something contagious. I'm sure you can spend $30K on a dog, but I've seen evidence that you can spend a fifth of that and still have a happy, healthy dog.

This is probably the estimated average cost for all dogs, big & small, in all parts of the US: large metros, suburbia, and boonies. The cost is not uniform depending on the type of dog, area, and owner (think the cost of accessories, grooming, 'day care' and travel). It probably doesn't factor in pet health insurance either. This said, I didn't look at the methodology or data.

Depends on the type/size of dog, and the quality of life you provide. For a small dog, $30 a month for food might provide quality food. For my dog (a 60+ lbs lab/pit mix), $30 would be horrible quality. Flea/Tick/Worm/etc medication is ~$10-15 a month. Treats, an antler every now and then, etc. starts to add up.

On top of that, in many American households the dog serves as a substitute for a child (as is made obvious by language such as "fur baby", "dog mom" etc.). And the cost of rearing a child is another order of magnitude higher. So, if you replace the child with a dog, and then replace the dog with an Aibo, you're looking at a cost that's two orders of magnitude lower. That's a bargain.

Get a library card - free in many countries - and you can replace the child with a dog with a robot with a book about having a robot instead of a dog instead of a child, for no money at all!

I think the jump from having children to having a toy robot is still a bit too far. In a few decades maybe, if and when AI has come to fruition (that is, real AI, not the machine-learning fad which is so much en vogue at the moment). Until then I think these toy robots are just that, toys. They might be fun, just like other toys. People might get attached to them, just like they can to other toys.

> In a few decades maybe, if and when AI has come to fruition (...)

Assuming the EU's human brain simulation project comes to fruition, I wonder at one point we'll be able to raise a human child consciousness in VR—sort of a Tamagotchi but for an actual human consciousness.

The AI services are accessed through a built in LTE modem. So you can't really filter it even if you wanted to.

Wait! This is basically the most important thing to do - you really want to know what what it's sending back to Sony - and without hacking a GSM tower. No, really, who would voluntarily agreed to something like this?!

What in the world is the market for this?

Robotic pets are often used in therapy for people with dementia.

http://www.parorobots.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvGAL9tesM

Japanese people who would love to have a dog but can’t because they live in a tiny apartment/would have no time for it.

Japan, the country where mp3 playing toilets was a huge hit.

Lonely Japanese people. https://world.wng.org/2017/11/lonely_in_japan

Reply on news.ycombinator.com