Unfortunately, Aibo, the original robo-pet, has had his day. All’s been quiet on the Aibo front for the better part of a decade, leaving parents everywhere desperate for new options to stave off having to buy their kids a real pet.
So, how do you keep dog doo out of your house, while still bring the joy of a four-legged friend in? Well, Zoomer is racing onto the scene, and he looks to be a pretty solid successor to Aibo. Zoomer promises to be a smart pet, although perhaps not as smart as the real thing. He’ll be able to do a few tricks eventually, but you’ll have to teach him to do them first. That happens over time – the more you tell Zoomer to do tricks, the more often he’ll respond to those commands. He can roll over, play dead, and all that good stuff.
Of course, there are more than a few features thrown in to make Zoomer a little less robotic. His LED eyes blink, and they can track movement. There are sensors on Zoomer’s underside, so he’ll react when you scratch his stomach. He can even wag his tail, which is flexible, so it doesn’t look stiff and mechanical. Like any dog out there, occasionally Zoomer will just blank out when you tell him to do a trick – and, also like a real dog, this will probably happen when you’re trying to show off said trick to someone else.
Zoomer can be charged via USB, and is available now for $100. But, you can get Zoomer now for $95 on Amazon. Zoomer also comes in multiple colors, but the white with black spots Zoomer definitely looks the most dog-like.
