Who or what is Aibo? A cute, clean, obedient dog. The catch? It's a robot. Manufactured by Japanese electronics giant Sony, the robo-pup was the star of the 2018 Consumer Electronics ShowA major tech conference held every January in Las Vegas.. Reporters cooed as Sony boss Kaz Hirai brought a whimpering AiboMeans "pal" in Japanese. The name also comes from the words Artificial Intelligence Robot. onstage: "It's a little nervous," he warned.

What does it do? The foot-long, plastic-white dog is presented as "an entertainment robot". With its barks, tail wags and ability to respond to commands, it simulates a real pet. It can flex its body along 22 axes and roll its eyes; its owner can download new tricks from a store. Its in-built cameras allow it to see people and scan its surroundings, as well as take photos. For some reason, it "loves everything pink". After two hours of play, however, it needs a recharge.

Anything more advanced? Aibo also comes equipped with artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence, or "AI," is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning. (AI) technology, which enables it to remember and learn from its interactions with its owners and environment. It adapts its behaviour accordingly - for example, by running up to people it knows well; this kind of AI is known as "deep learning". Depending on how you treat your pup, "It could be a doting partner, a wild, fun-loving companion, or anywhere in between," claims Sony.

Moreover, the robot can connect to the cloudEssentially, "the cloud" is another way to refer to the internet. Cloud computing involves storing your documents online and/or syncing them with other information on the internet. to share its data with other Aibos, helping them to evolve faster.

So it's just a bit of fun? Unlike other intelligent robots, such as Amazon Echo, Aibo does not function as a personal assistant. That said, it offers more than mere entertainment: for example, its in-built camera could serve as a webcam, keeping watch over the home when its owner is out.

Haven't we seen this before? You're right: Sony released the first Aibo back in 1999. That model could bark, take photos and even speak Spanish, yet it was far more basic than the new one. It sold fairly well and inspired copycat (should that be "copydog"?) products. But Aibo was taken off the market in 2006 as Sony entered a rough patch and downsized.

Still, it retained a cult following in Japan, a country with more pets than children. Japanese urban homes tend to be quite cramped, and people favour small dogs. As the smallest, least demanding dog of all, Aibo worked its way into people's hearts. Some owners even held funerals when their doggie broke down.

Why is Aibo being revived now? Sony is back on a high and the company is confident enough to experiment again. Hirai is encouraging his employees to brainstorm new products, such as self-flying drones and digital smell dispensers. Aibo 2.0 seems to be part of this new wave of innovations.

But is the new Aibo really that innovative? Well, Sony wants to become a world leader in AI. Last year it invested in an American AI start-up firm called Cogitai, on whose work the new Aibo software is based. Sony is looking to build more partnerships like that.

Clearly, it sees Aibo as a way to test its new deep learningA form of AI that mimics the human brain. Professor Hinton works for Google Brain, Google's deep-learning AI research team. technology. If it works well, it could be applied to "transportation, education, healthcare", says Hirai.

So how can I get one? You can't... yet. Pre-orders began in November, and the mechanical mutts will be shipped out today - but only to Japanese consumers. An Aibo will set them back 198,000 yen (1,300), plus an extra 20 a month in service fees. If sales go well, Sony will consider releasing the Aibo overseas. But you'd better start saving now.