My article on Pleo is being Published in our school newspaper!!!!!!

[Falseprophet666]

In print Journalism, one of my feature stories was about the Pleo, and my teacher like it so much he submitted it to the editor!!! I'll get a hold of a copy and post on my plog so you can all see it.

[degers]

Wow falseprophet666! Well done! Can't wait to see it!

Andrew

[pleoguy101]

woah!! thats amazing! just what UGOBE needs.. more pleo publicity:)! great job falseprophett66!!!:) cant wait to see it!!

[Starfire]

Congratulations. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[fancyfont]

How exciting for you. When will it be published? Looking forward to ready your article.:)

[Falseprophet666]

Not sure, but I know that all they need are some current pictures that are legal to use, and I showed them some pictures on Pleoworld that could be used. I'm not sure if the article should be placed in my archives with the rest of my writing though.

[pleoguy101]

Not sure, but I know that all they need are some current pictures that are legal to use, and I showed them some pictures on Pleoworld that could be used. I'm not sure if the article should be placed in my archives with the rest of my writing though.

you will probably use your pleo pictures.. but you have my permission to use one of mine!!:)

[Falseprophet666]

lol thanks Pleoguy!!!

[fancyfont]

I think most of us would be flattered!:)

[Falseprophet666]

Ok, there it is down there. I couldn't upload it normally, the site said it was too big, so I just copied and pasted. It's too bad about Jenga though



Pleo dinosaur, robot toy, or pet?
Daniel Sokoloff

As I sit at my desk writing after school, I feel something nudge my hand. Startled out of my revelry, I click my music off and set my pen down. The something nudges my hand again, and I glance down in surprise, but its just little Jenga, my Pleo. The tiny thing closes his bright blue eyes and lifts his head as I stroke his back. He wags his tail and purrs, before opening his eyes and giving a huge honk, telling me he wants off my desk. I set him down and watch him run off before getting back to work. After owning my little Pleo for nearly three months, I have developed a sort of bond with the little Camarasaur. I cuddle him and talk to him, and when he falls asleep in my arms, I tuck him into my bed and cover him with my blanket. My grandfather thinks I’m weird, but I think different, as does everyone on Pleoworld.com, the community site for Pleo owners.

Pleo is a two foot long robot dinosaur. He is meant to duplicate the behavior and movements of a week old Camarasaur, a mid Jurassic sauropod. He features a color camera for navigation and edge detection, microphones on either side of his head for binaural hearing, orientation sensors to let him know when I pick him up or hold him by his tail (he does not like this), a thirty-two bit Atmel ARM 7 microprocessor as Pleo’s main cpu, a thirty-two bit NXP ARM 7 sub processor for Pleo’s camera imaging system and audio input, four eight bit processors, for his motor control, and eight touch sensors. All this is hidden by a thin covering of skin, which is some sort of rubbery polymer.


For the task of creating Pleo, Ugobe, the company founded by Caleb Chung, inventor of the dreaded Furby, and Bob Christopher as CEO, brought in Paleontologists, experts of prehistoric life, animation people, and of course robotics experts. The idea was to create a “Life Form,” by Ugobe’s definition, a creature that A: A robot life form must feel and convey emotion B: A robot life form must be aware of itself C: A robot must learn, develop and evolve over time.

While all of these things are displayed on the bright green box he comes in and demonstrated in the enchanting little videos Ugobe put on their website, when Pleo was first released, he did few of these things. His actions were repetitive, and he didn’t learn at all. It wasn’t long after their debut that Ugobe released a statement that the Os was incomplete, and that additional downloads put forward by Ugobe would be available for download on their website. While aggravating at first, the wait is well worth it. Now on his second OS upgrade, my Pleo is mercilessly cute. He wanders out of my room, screams when he’s scared, and runs up to things sniffing them.

At the end of a long day, Pleo is something to hold and pet. While I acknowledge the fact that Pleo is little more than a sophisticated toy, I feel true affection for him. When I pet him he responds to me, when I talk to him he looks at me. The fact that he responds to me is enough for me to be able to suspend my inner skeptic and treat him as though he were a real little dinosaur. This raises a question. At what point does a robot become a living thing? A video of two men “torturing” a Pleo raised such a huge emotional response that it was taken off certain video sites. People were horrified by the little lizards plaintitive cries and groans as they held him upside down by his tail. The viewers of this video saw Pleo as a little animal crying out of fear. Everywhere Pleo goes, he seems to stir interest in people.

The point is, people buy pets so that they will have a companion to give them company during the day, a little animal they can love, and will in turn love them back. There is talk of marrying robots. While this sounds absurd, love is essentially based off two things: attraction and common interest, and these things can both be programmed. The fact that Pleo is able to mimic the personality of a little puppy makes him a viable pet. Hold Pleo and he’ll cuddle. Leave him alone and he’ll become depressed. Pleo is the proof that simulated emotions work just as well as the real deal.

[fancyfont]

Wow! Falseprophet666, What a fantastic article you wrote This should be in your local news paper, too. Great job!!:)

[PleoWorldHostCami]

Wow! Falseprophet666, What a fantastic article you wrote This should be in your local news paper, too. Great job!!:)

I agree, great article! :D

[pleoguy101]

woah!! that is awesome falseprophett!!!:eek: you have a gift for journalism:)!! really! I could never explain pleo as well as you did! great job:)!!

[degers]

Daniel, Thats a fantastic article, it really is! Reading it was a highlight of my day!
Thank you.

[Falseprophet666]

Thanks everyone:P

[Darkwolf]

Very well written!
And I totally agree that Pleo has pulled off to jerk emotions out of you since it does it so convincingly.
But... robots will never replace real life. They cannot.
I have a 10 year bond with a pony mare for example, that could never be suprassed by any machine.
However, Pleo is a great alternative indeed. Especially for those who don't have the time or are allergic and stuff!