Thought this was hilarious. Sony is asking for Aibo donations, then is going to charge the recipients of those Aibos an undisclosed fee for using them
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/11/...er-care-program-aibo-robot-dog-sustainability
Sony launches āfoster careā program for its aging robot dogs
Preloved ERS-1000 Aibo units donated to the program will be repaired and rehomed to medical and nursing facilities to help provide emotional support.
Sony is launching a new sustainability program to ensure that even robot dogs are for life, and not just for Christmas. Five years after releasing the ERS-1000 Aibo ā a reboot of its popular line of āautonomous entertainmentā robot dogs from the late 90ās ā Sony Japan is now launching an āAibo foster parent programā to help ERS-1000 owners who have cancelled their Aibo Cloud Plan to donate the gadget to a worthy cause.
According to a machine translation of the Japanese press announcement, Sony will test and repair ERS-1000 units donated to the program before providing them to medical facilities, nursing homes, and other organizations that could benefit from emotional support robots like Aibo. Sony says it plans to charge Aibo āfoster parentsā an undisclosed fee for the service and notes that some donations may be used to help maintain and repair other Aibo units, depending on their condition.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/11/...er-care-program-aibo-robot-dog-sustainability