How would you change Pleo?

Ah, Pleo. The world's freshest, friendliest and most unpredictable robot dinosaur. At first glance, it's hard to imagine changing anything about this bundle of cuteness, but for the loyal souls that waited through agonizing months of delays and kept the faith when everyone else was crying vaporware, we're sure they've got a few pointers for improvement. Granted, those who fell head over heels for this creature as soon as the first press shot surfaced may simply be thrilled to finally have one roaming around the backyard, but for demanding fossil collector, those sentiments aren't enough to satisfy.

Now that the holiday rush is over and normalcy is slowly returning, we're giving those mettlesome early adopters a shot at tweaking this blast from the past. How could UGOBE have made this prehistoric monster a bit more enjoyable? Maybe toss in some WD-40 for those über-noisy gears? What about throwing in a digestive system to take care of those crumbs the kids drop at supper? Or maybe just blessing it with an IQ slightly higher than a loggerhead turtle? Truth be told, even we think there's plenty to love about Pleo, but as you've seen, we've been stumped by its actions on more than one occasion. Thankfully, Pleo's maker is already on the ball with regard to updates, but who's to say you can't toss in some input for upgrades yet to materialize? Go on, be honest with yourself -- just make sure your dino is sound asleep before crushing its feelings, okay?

[Mac @ Jan 11th 2008 6:38PM]

Make his servos quieter :(

[Oliver @ Jan 11th 2008 6:40PM]

make him faster... And possibly add fur... Yeah, I like mammals

[Reid Clark @ Jan 11th 2008 6:48PM]

I would make him 10x larger. And laser beam eyes.

[Taylor Fort @ Jan 11th 2008 6:48PM]

jet packs

[Bill Hennan @ Jan 11th 2008 6:50PM]

They need, "... frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads,"

[Mike @ Jan 11th 2008 6:51PM]

seriously, where is veronica belmont?

I want to see more of her. this place just isn't the same without that cutie.

[Ryan Worrell @ Jan 11th 2008 7:03PM]

+1000

[Ryan Worrell @ Jan 11th 2008 8:01PM]

http://www.veronicabelmont.com/

[Mike @ Jan 11th 2008 7:16PM]

nice. I don't see a picture section on that website.

[Scootie @ Jan 11th 2008 6:56PM]

Not make it

[quiksilv3r @ Jan 11th 2008 6:57PM]

Make him look like Optimus Prime.

[RobF @ Jan 11th 2008 6:59PM]

First thing I wanted to do when I got my Pleo was to skin it. No... really! I wanted to look under the nice dino skin to see what the mechanisms look like. The only way I can do it is to cut it open... but my wife veto'd that idea.

[todd @ Jan 12th 2008 1:38AM]

No need to skin your Pleo!

You can look under the hood right here...

http://pleohq.com/pleo-101/technical-specs/

[Blacksheep @ Jan 11th 2008 7:01PM]

If it could do my laundry, I'd buy it. Seriously, where is my laundry robot, it's 2008, this is supposed to be the future! I don't care what robots do, so long as they can't do things to make my life easier, like LAUNDRY! lol

[chung @ Jan 11th 2008 7:07PM]

1) I would like to see Ugobe implement an auto-charging system akin to the roomba where Pleo would return to the charging station when its battery is running low.

2) An auto-wake feature would be nice too since there is already a hardware power switch. In other words, it'd be nice for Pleo to wake up on its own if it turned off on its own.

With these two features, maybe Pleo would learn to greet me at the door when I enter the house =D.

[Taylor @ Jan 11th 2008 9:11PM]

I actually spoke to one of their engineers at last summer's RoboGames, and because of EU regulations they had to design it so you have to remove the battery pack and charge it separately... Odd since phones aren't like that (thank god!), so i'm not sure all the legal stuff, but unless it had onboard charging (or maybe they have gotten around that since then?), it obviously couldn't do that. :(
-Taylor

[you @ Jan 14th 2008 3:08PM]

That's really unfortunate. Does the regulation mean the iRobot Roomba isn't sold in the EU?

[James @ Jan 11th 2008 7:20PM]

How would I change it? I'd throw it in a bucket of molten lava.

[Louis @ Jan 11th 2008 7:24PM]

I'd ask him to kindly stop attacking Tokyo.

[michas_pi @ Jan 11th 2008 7:28PM]

I would splice it with a Roomba and make it clean the whole house.

[Bobs @ Jan 11th 2008 8:51PM]

I mostly splice things together with super glue and tape.

[3rdsun @ Jan 11th 2008 7:52PM]

Make a female version with the likeness of a human and have it engage in various sexual positions.

[Khris @ Jan 11th 2008 8:05PM]

I would have aborted it during the first trimester.

[TS @ Jan 11th 2008 8:08PM]

Two words: Fire Breathing!

[letstakeawalk @ Jan 11th 2008 9:18PM]

Seconded. He must breathe fire and brimstone!
;p

[Faar @ Jan 11th 2008 8:09PM]

How would I change Pleo?

Weee-eell... Right now I'm thinking "fangs" here, great big huge ones! Possibly body armor.
Most definitely racks of missile launchers and gatling guns mounted on its back!

Of course, doing all this would just increase the chance a native American comes running carrying a strange bottomless leather bag and pumps poor Pleo full of arrows, high explosives and plasma nukes... So maybe this is just a bad idea. ;)

[Lemmiwinks @ Jan 11th 2008 8:12PM]

If they gave him bright flashing LEDs in his eyes and a small airhorn, it would do wonders to keep my cats in line.

[Kishen @ Jan 11th 2008 8:14PM]

quieter motors, please.
heading back to a base station to charge himself was also a great idea.

[navstar @ Jan 11th 2008 8:15PM]

I think it's really sluggish to respond to stimuli.

Quitier servos.

Needs a much bigger battery. One hour of play and three hours of charge kills it.

Needs to self dock and "sleep" when batteries are low -- maybe a nest of inductive coils.

Waterproof!

[biomi @ Jan 11th 2008 8:20PM]

Have it come to you when it's called and have it try to follow you around (it is slow).

[cronick @ Jan 11th 2008 8:31PM]

Real Teeth! And a bite from HELL!

[Ethan @ Jan 11th 2008 8:41PM]

It always appears a bit depressed. I'd put it in an eyore suit. You could remove it's tail and see it die a little inside.

[tekdroid @ Jan 11th 2008 9:02PM]

battery life

[Taylor @ Jan 11th 2008 9:15PM]

Honestly? Skins!
Cell phones have skins, winamp has skins, ipods have skins... Pleo actually HAS skin! So why not make it removable and changable!? I'd go for a black and orange scheme i think... And someone mentioned fur... If it didn't confuse the sensors (it might), that would be sweet! People love customization, and as much as the seamless skin design is cool, i wouldn't mind a few seams if i could swap out that dermis! :)
Also, his skin is a bit too rubbery, it feels kind of odd... I wish it was a bit more slick, it would make him feel nicer to hold and pet.
-Taylor

[JustinAndrew @ Jan 11th 2008 9:46PM]

one eye for webcam
one eye for IM or email alerts
make it a lighter
a can opener on it's tail
get it to tow my 6 pack
fetch me the paper
bring me my slippers
aide me in picking up chicks in the park
have it fly me to work
maybe it can be i dunno, 1000 times bigger
again, make it fly me around places
give it sixaxis movement so it can play warhawk with me
rockets instead of fire breathing would be great
also, make it print money. that would be a nice touch.

pfff... skins and quiet servos. DARE TO DREAM KIDS!

[James @ Jan 12th 2008 1:25AM]

You pick up chicks at parks?

[JustinAndrew @ Jan 12th 2008 9:54AM]

Hush. Pleos are listening.

[Shadowfox952 @ Jan 11th 2008 10:30PM]

Hello Kitty Pleo. Nao. Just can't get enough of that kitty; she's more popular than the black plague in the middle ages.

[cupidpsyche @ Jan 11th 2008 10:57PM]

Lower. The. Price.

[spaceb @ Jan 12th 2008 12:17AM]

It needs more cowbell.

[ug @ Jan 12th 2008 11:35PM]

Beat me to the punch!

[caaahl @ Jan 12th 2008 6:10AM]

- eylids and theeth plastics should be in the final color (so they dont need to be painted and no paint can chip off)

- give him hair (ok, i solved this by myself http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=helgehaarezo3.jpg )

Apart from that, we should wait for the Life OS update...

[grjohnston @ Jan 12th 2008 1:58PM]

Toenails that really grow.

[TIB @ Jan 12th 2008 4:32PM]

replace one eye with a small LED-lit projector, monochromatic is fine. that way, pleo can come close to a bright flat surface and project an image of what he wants to show you - like the face of a friend who just emailed, or battery status etc.

replace clunky motor system with a series of pistons, electronic valves, and a hydraulic accumulator powered by a single motor. this system could be made virtually silent, and would allow very fast movements.

use OLEDs embedded in its skin, so that there could be some colour changes a la chameleon.

wireless networking with a PC (located anywhere) to assist in CPU intensive task such as pattern recognition. if it hears a strange sound, it can transmit that to a PC for analysis for example. great for complex voice commands.

ability to communicate with other pleos via projector/eye or wireless.

artificial gecko-skin feet for climbing windows, and hanging from one toe off the chandelier.

use aforementioned OLED skin as a touch sensor. since OLEDs can act as solar cells, they could be polled for rate-of-change of light levels, and infer that an object is close, or in close proximity by the shadow cast. this would give very high resolution touch, and when combined with pressure sensors in the hydraulic system could yield valuable data on pressure, velocity, substance, duration and direction.

solar antenna. a flexible solar panel that emerges whenever pleo senses no movement around him for some time, but a source of light available. he could, for example, seek out sunlight coming through a door/window and go stand in it to charge.

i have too many software changes to list.

[jiggs @ Jan 12th 2008 10:07PM]

He should poop Milk Duds.

[Ron @ Jan 13th 2008 1:10AM]

You should have asked for intelligent comments only. Or.. is Pleo is smarter than some of these owners?
1.Have Pleo sense table edges so it won't walk off.
2. Make skin out of synthetic mesh so it feel better
3. Make it explore more
4. Allow updating the SD card while installed in Pleo. My computer won't see my card reader/writer.
5. It gets boxed in (on the floor) too easily and only turns to the right when it could escape to the left.
6. It won't walk on carpet. I fixed by applying 5 min. epoxy to the rear feet and toes where they rub on the carpet.
7. Mine will go to sleep (if left alone) and I have to turn it upside down to wake it up. This may be fixed with OS update.
8. What does the camera do? Could be put to better use.

[Mark Barltrop @ Jan 13th 2008 8:13AM]

You might be interested to know there are a couple of utilities avaiable now to program Pleo

http://www.aibohack.com/pleo/yapt.htm

(This comes complete with a "Babe the sheep-pig" personality - says different phrases depending on which sensors are triggered or just says them at random if left alone)

http://www.dogsbodynet.com/pleoskit/index.html

[Mark Sunday @ Jan 13th 2008 5:34PM]

How about a paint that doesn't rub off when you pet Pleo? Or maybe a touch up kit? I contacted Kraton Polymers (producers of the compund used for Pleo's skin) and they had no suggestions on paints that would be safe to use on the skin.

Faster reactions to stimuli as it ages

As someone else mentioned, it gets trapped easily by simple obstacles, which is kinda cute a few times, but quickly becomes annoying.

How about a guide for conditioning the Ni-Mh battery packs? Or better yet, replace the cells with Saphion lithium cells.

A smart charge that shuts itself off when the packs are getting overcharged.

Tech support that can do more than read the FAQ back to callers.

[adrian @ Jan 14th 2008 2:13PM]

Step on it.

[Adán @ Jan 15th 2008 10:05AM]

It needs it's own casino, with blackjack... and hookers!