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. Pleo is one top toy for Christmas 2009 for children 8 and up.
Therapeutic Value
Pleo's "behaviors" are theoretically unlimited, as new ones can be downloaded from the PleoWorld website. However, a number of the actions it performs out-of-the-box are potentially educational or therapeutic for young children. These include "eating" (Pleo patiently munches 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).
Pleo Blogs and Commentaries
- Mahalo's Guide to Pleo Dinosaur Reviews
- Blog: Pleo Dinosaur!
- Engadget: Angry Pleo: Pleo Meets Dog, Dogs Don't Like Pleo...
- DVICE: Pleo... how much punishment can a robot dinosaur take?
- Engadget: Mary had a little... Pleo?
- Engadget: UGOBE's Pleo enters production
- Engadget: Ugobe's Pleo dino-bot
- Gizmodo: Pleo: Probably Won't Eat You
- Blogging with Desi Baba: Pleo, the Sophisticated Dinosaur!
- Google Blog Search: Pleo
Pleo Retailers
- Mahalo's Guide to Pleo Pre-Order
- Amazon.com: Pleo Dinosaur
- Best Buy: UGOBE - Pleo
- Target: Pleo UGOBE Life Form
- Wal-Mart: Pleo UGOBE Life Form
- ThinkGeek: Pleo Robotic Life Form
Pleo Robotic Dinosaur in Action
References
Fast Facts
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Manufacturer
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Creator
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Fact:
Unveiled February 7, 2007 at an Arizona DEMO Conference
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Public Release Date
December, 2007
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Fact:
Pricing Starts at $349
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Fact:
Weighs 3.5 lbs
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Fact:
Measures 20.7" L x 6.0" W x 7.5" H
