Guide Note

Pleo is a robotic dinosaur toy designed to mimic the behavior of a newborn baby. The design is that of a fairly naturalistic-looking dinosaur (resembles Camarasaurus), but has been subtly stylized to appear friendly. It was created by Caleb Chung, who also co-created popular robotic toy Furby.

Fast Facts

1. Manufacturer: Ugobe
2. Creator: Caleb Chung
3. Unveiled February 7, 2007 at an Arizona DEMO Conference
4. Public Release Date: December, 2007
5. Pricing Starts at $349
6. Weighs 3.5 lbs
7. Measures 20.7" L x 6.0" W x 7.5" H

Therapeutic Value

Pleo's "behaviors" are theoretically unlimited, as new ones can be downloaded from the PleoWorld website. However, a number of the the actions it performs out-of-the-box are potentially educational or therapeutic for young children. these include "eating" (Pleo patiently muches a plastic leaf), "sleeping" (which it does when its battery runs out, after around an hour), cuddling (the toy is very receptive to gentle petting) and playing (it's designed for interactivity, rather than to be controlled).