The toy pet, which vaguely resembles a beagle with floppy ears, cannot walk nor talk when first switched on.

Apart from walking, it eventually converses with some 1,000 phrases suited to the "character" it develops as the owner cheers it up and strokes it.

It keeps a diary using pictures taken with its built-in camera when it is in the right mood. The owner can peek at the diary the following day, reading what comment AIBO made.

"AIBO owners have sometimes asked us what AIBO is feeling like in certain situations as it was not clear. They will be pleased to have this speaking function," said Kiyoko Kondo at Sony's Entertainment Robot Company.

"You would become more emotionally involved," she said.

The robo-dog may steal owners away from the Tamagotchi virtual pet, which swept the world in the mid-1990s.

Sony starts taking orders Thursday, with a price tag of 194,250 yen (1,720 dollars) in Japan including a five-percent sales tax.

Depending on the character it develops, a playful AIBO will try to come out when enclosed by cardboard while a pampered AIBO will call its owner for help.

The new model is also more like its flesh-and-blood equivalent, scratching its ears with a hind leg, yawning and cooing in response to gentle stroking.

But it also comes with several lives. Owners can skip the maturing process and make AIBO an adult instantly or switch the adult back to a pup to enjoy the growing-up stage.

AIBO charges its battery by itself when it is "hungry".

Sony has sold 150,000 AIBOs since the original edition was launched in 1999 as the world's first entertainment robot.

Buyers of the first model were technology aficionados and young men but the customer group has gradually expanded to housewives in their 40s and 50s with grown-up children, Kondo said.

The robot dog has also won the hearts of senior citizens who want to show it to their grandchildren or have someone to talk to, Kondo added.

Some customers say they bought AIBO after their dogs died. And AIBO, unlike the real thing, does not cause allergies, and does not need to take a walk or seek the nearest lamppost to respond to the call of nature.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only