WowWee’s CHiP Robotic Dog — An Affordable Social Robot and Companion
I just pre-ordered WowWee’s new robot dog CHiP. I watched Mashable’s unboxing of the little dog and was impressed by its voice controls, mobility, and general enthusiastic dog-like “personality.”
I never felt I could afford Sony’s Aibo when it was available starting in 1999. With a price tag of around $2,500, the impressive “entertainment robot” was out of reach for all but the truly robot obsessed. But the Aibo may have set the standard against which other robot pets will be judged. When Sony announced last year that it would no longer support the Aibo, many “owners” who remained faithfully attached to their robot best friend began desperately searching for alternative servicing options.
WowWee has now introduced a social robot pet that, in relative terms, is pretty affordable. CHiP’s retail price tag of $199 is comparable to the Amazon Echo’s price of $179.99. I’m guessing that many of the same people who were early adopters of the Echo will be interested in buying CHiP.
CHiP and the Echo are completely different devices with different use cases. But at the end of the day, CHiP is a voice-controlled robot that can do interesting things with a focus on providing entertainment and engagement. Though most people’s excuse for buying an Echo was that it could be a central hub for controlling their smarthome, they really coveted it for its ability to tell “your mama” jokes and make silly bodily noises on command.
If CHiP is successful, it could be another big step in the direction of getting the public acquainted and comfortable with smart devices that live in their homes and become trusted companions and even family members. As we wait for the more ambitious social robots like Jibo and Buddy to start shipping, WowWee’s CHiP can fill the gap while providing some great robotic fun.
If you’re attending this year’s Digital Kids Summit next month in San Francisco on September 13–14, you’ll have an opportunity to hear Davin Sufer, CTO of WowWee, participate in a keynote conversation with Tonda Bunger Sellers, Producer of the Summit. Sellers will talk with Sufer about the robotic “toy” industry, including where it’s been and where he thinks it might be headed.
I intentionally put the word toy in italics in the previous sentence, because in my view, robotic pets and robotic characters have applications far beyond the children’s toy market. Once more of these devices enter the market, it will be interesting to watch how and if their influence and adoption grows.
