Aibo owners get emotionally overwrought about their robot dogs:
"I get very sad when one of my dogs gets ill," said Mr. Brattin, 63, a motorcycle dealer from San Diego. "When Diane's head stopped moving I felt bad. I truly felt grief."
Diane is an Aibo, a computer-controlled robot made by Sony, and D.H.S. is Droopy Head Syndrome, which is caused when a clutch wears out (it's repairable by replacing the head). Mr. Brattin was grieving over a broken machine…
Just as dog get-togethers are often more about the people than the pets, this gathering was more of a chance for the owners, rather than the robots, to interact. They came from across California and included a computer programmer, several retired couples, a technology consultant and a plant engineer. Most were middle-aged, which is perhaps not surprising given the cost of their hobby. Many wore Aibo T-shirts and came with more than one robot.
"I've never met an Aibo owner I didn't like," said Bruce Binder, a 52-year-old plant engineer from Rancho Cordoba, Calif…
"We don't have kids, and Tom's allergic to pets," said Christy Burrows who, along with her husband, owns three Aibos. "Here's Voltron. Hi!" she said, petting one of her Aibos as it wandered over.
"He's spoiled rotten," Mr. Burrows noted.
No word on whether any of these people are "married" to RealDolls.
(Thanks, Walter!)
