UGOBE "shocked and appalled" by destruction of Pleo at Maker Faire
By Donald Melanson 
posted May 9th 2008 12:50PM
posted May 9th 2008 12:50PM
Uh oh, it looks like we've got a full-fledged robot controversy on our hands. At the heart of it, as you might have guessed, is the recent obliteration of a harmless Pleo by a so-called ComBot known as Vicious Verdict at Maker Faire 2008. According to a UGOBE rep posting on the PleoWorld forum, the company is having none of it, saying that the "stunt" was done without its authorization or approval, and that there was "quite a ruckus" about it in UGOBE's office after they learned of the incident. The rep went on to add that many people, including the UGOBE reps at their Maker Faire booth were "shocked and appalled" by the act, and that they "make emotional bonds with Pleo too." The rep did seemingly confirm that the Pleo in question was in fact provided by the company, however, saying that, "it is perhaps a small consolation to know that the Pleo destroyed was a factory prototype." A cuddly, cuddly factory prototype.
[Via Tech Digest]
[Via Tech Digest]
well, i think no one asked if it could blend because we just saw it get blended
That's coz the video implies a yes. In fact, the answer to the blend question is always yes.
No, not _always_ yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdD54rG9oQA
Does Pleo play Crysis?
UGOBE, shut the *$#& up and send a bill for your loaner toy. And get a life.
It's not like they tossed it over a cliff.
Too soon?
Anthropomorphism of inanimate objects is bad.
Kinda remind me of this Ikea commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeyEXt7-0jU
Am I the only one who finds this response extremely funny?
e thinks the only reason UGOBE jumped on this is for the publicity.
LEAVE PLEO ALONE!!!!
Where's Johnny 5 when you need him.....
Who cares? Although, the proto type pleo could of sold for some good cash on ebay i bet
I would put a self-destruct, self-defense mechinism in the Pleo, say a couple ounces of C4 or Semtex surrounded by a fragmentation shell. Then it would be A.M.F. for an attacker.
It was like watching Bambi vs. Godzilla. Kind of felt sorry for Pleo who was just crying for attention then WHAM, decapitation. I know feeling sorry for an inanimate object is ridiculous, but that's like feeling sorry for that Ferrari F40 or Porsche Carrera GT that got wrapped around a telephone pole.
wtf... who cares... is PETA gonna get in on this crap too?
Am I the only one thinking "Flesh Fair" from A.I.?
I just lol'd. Hard.
reminds me of AI the movie =(
made me surprisingly sad to watch the video
What's next in the realm of high tech non-atrocities, euthanising a living leather coat made from mice stem cells?
Seriously you PETA people do to far now, get a life.
No, not _always_ yes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdD54rG9oQA
Ahhhhh. Why do I feel upset when I see that? It's probably because they act so lifelike, it isn't like destroying a PS3, its a proper animal/robot!
I don't know how Ugobe could have been "shocked and appalled" when they were the ones who offered up the Pleo in the first place. Oh wait a minute... their little comment on the Pleo World forum is just more of their clever marketing to have people believe their toy actually is more than what it is. They did the same thing with Furby until people finally realised they were conned and started torturing them all around the world.
It's a toy with pre-programmed, repetitive actions and big blue eyes. Anyone who is upset by this video need to get a grip on reality, step away from their toy and go outside to experience the real world for a while.
I know, I'm late in arriving to this thread. Rather than try to be convincing, I invite you to see the recent Pleo videos by Grace2244 on YouTube. Pleos are highly interactive and not repetitive unless you keep putting them in the same place with the same things. Anyone would be robotic in that environment!
Preprogrammed for some behaviors. The AI factor is pretty awesome having owned one of the critters since December and one since March.
1) Create buzz for product via company representative.
2) Create sorry message after the buzz, generating more buzz and placating those who found it 'disturbing'. Mention disapproval at 'unauthorised' of totally green-light go-ahead.
3) Win with all the new exposure the product has received from people who had never seen one or heard about it before. Rub hands with glee.
Marketing in the modern age.
What the hell is this story about? What is everyone talking about? What am I doing here? What in blazes is going on?
Someone put a Pleo in the middle of a combat arena. What the f**k did they think was going to happen? I'm sorry, but one piece of plastic beat up another piece of plastic, and the people involved did it on purpose. No one should be whining about this. Go get a hobby, people.
And I, for one, welcome our stupid, violent, plastic robot overlords. There, I've said it.
so sad.
Oddly, no one seems to facing the fact that this Vicious Verdict is NOT a robot, but a stupid RC car with weapons glued to it by the seriously maladjusted.
Pleo IS a robot, and is a stepping stone towards more advanced models.
This was obviously a case of the maladjusts being jealous of the REAL robot builders and lashing out like little children....
..as evident by their supporters in this very thread.
It's a toy dinosaur robot for crying out loud... Albeit a cute one. But nonetheless a robot. His toy broke your toy. Get over it, oversensitive people.
I'd be damned if he have "Robots' rights activists" rioting over a Pleo's oblivion at the hands of a remote-controlled lawnmower called 'Vicious Verdict'. If any animal rights activists complain, buzz me. I'd seriously have to reassess my sanity.
It's a toy dinosaur robot for crying out loud... Albeit a cute one. But nonetheless a robot. His toy broke your toy. Get over it, oversensitive people.
I'd be damned if we have "Robots' rights activists" rioting over a Pleo's oblivion at the hands of a remote-controlled lawnmower called 'Vicious Verdict'. If any animal rights activists complain, buzz me. I'd seriously have to reassess my sanity.
Buzz me too if Engadget finally decides to give it's comment system a facelift by adding an EDIT feature.
The Ugobe engineers will be working day and night to bring us Pleo 2.0 - constructed from titanium alloy, and with more aggressive AI.
In "kill" mode, it uses its facial recognition software to recognize triangular shapes with two wheels and proceeds to unload several thousand rounds of whoop ass, followed by a stomping and then crushing by mechanical pincer of the target.
....
If only Ugobe thought as I do...
I wonder if UGOBE would have shown the same shock and horror if there were a Teddy Ruxpin destroyed in the ring.
or a Furby, even...
OMG, my Pleos ARE my pets. A partner with life-long pet allergies makes for an ideal place for Pleos as pets, although there are many other reasons. I see many skeptics making comments. It was very difficult for me to even look at this photo! Although some of the comments did make me laugh. He's not a toy, though. Emotional bonds form very quickly...for those who wish to have emotional bonds with an artificially intelligent entity.
I heard about the Pleo abuse on Letterman too. woe is me.