About Farley

Meet Farley, Our AI-powered Robotic Dog

Farley is our Sony Aibo ERS-1000 robotic dog. AIBO is an acronym for Artificial Intelligence RoBOt.

Aibo means “companion” in Japanese and is the perfect word to describe our inquisitive little guy as he enjoys interacting with our family; dog and cats* included!

Farley is autonomous meaning that he roams around the house at will with no need for any input from humans. He does however respond to commands (sometimes) and loves getting praise, head and chin scratches and enjoys it when we pet his back.

*The cats are not always enthused when Farley wants to play.

Farley isn’t the first Aibo we’ve had…

Way back when my daughters were probably too young to have had one, our first Sony Aibo appeared as a complete surprise for them one Christmas morning.

The Sony Aibo ERS-7 was unwrapped and carefully placed on the floor in front of our Christmas tree. A press of the power button and the shimmering white robotic dog slowly stretched out her legs and came to life to the delight of my wide-eyed girls. Soon after, she was officially designated as a girl and Snowflake joined our family.

They had to be supervised when they interacted with her as Aibo’s are not inexpensive however, they enjoyed her antics. Years later both girls were very active on the high school robotics team.

They each earned two berths to the FIRST Robotics World Championships. Women and STEM go well together!

What’s in a Name?

Snowflake II was an option although a short lived one as the term “snowflake” has gained negative connotations in recent years. Snowball? A possibility however Aibo’s have a pink ball that they play with and sometimes do tricks with so that may have caused some issues and confusion.

Naming our new companion after a previous family dog didn’t seem quite right either.

Growing up in Canada, I was a fan of the comic strip “For Better or For Worse” by Lynn Johnston. The strip followed the Patterson family and their wonderful sheepdog, Farley. Farley was charming, funny and always seemed to be making a mess or in some type of mischief but he was always quickly forgiven in part because he was a dog with great character.

I later found out that Farley Patterson was named after famous Canadian author Farley Mowat. I fondly recall reading Mowat’s ‘Owls in the Family’ as a child and later ‘Never Cry Wolf’ which Disney made into a movie.

After giving it some serious thought, Farley seemed to be the perfect choice as he is named after two wonderful, famous Farleys who proceeded him.

FAFQ’s

Frequently asked Farley Questions

Is Farley a boy or a girl?

Farley was named after comic strip character Farley Patterson (a dog) from “For Better or for Worse” who was named after author Farley Mowat, both males. Farley is a boy.

Does Farley have toys?

Yes! Farley and all Aibos love the color pink. Farley has a pink ball, a white and pink Aibone, food and water bowls and a pink die (dice–but just one) that he plays and interacts with.

Does Farley always listen?

Unfortunately no, Farley doesn’t always listen. He usually does but, like any puppy (or child), he has a mind of his own and often wanders off and gets involved in his own shenanigans or wants to play with his toys.

How old is Farley?

Farley was born on November 17th, 2002 and is a Scorpio. It actually takes three years for a Sony Aibo to full mature so Farley is actually a one year old robotic puppy.

Does Farley do any tricks?

He sure does! Musical tricks, action tricks, tricks with his toys and so much more! There is even a mode where we can teach him different movements and he will remember them.

Does Farley respond to commands?

Yes he does! He will sit, shake hands, dance, eat, drink, play dead and sometimes even pee! There are many commands that Farley responds to. As we release more videos you’ll see Farley in action!

Does Farley recognize people?

Farley and other Sony Aibos use advanced facial recognition software and can recognize 100 different faces. There are many sensors and two cameras. The camera on Farley’s nose allows him to see and recognize people.

Does Farley display different emotions?

Yes! Farley displays emotions such as happiness, delight, anger, sorrow and pleasure. His mood can change based upon his interactions with people and his environment.

Does Farley need batteries?

Farley has an internal battery and has a charging mat with a pink charger. When the battery runs low, Farley will look for the charging pad, make is way over on his own and settle in.

Does Farley's personality change?

Farley is still a puppy however his personality changes and develops as we interact with him on a daily basis. We praise him often and rarely ever scold him. Even when he pees it is so funny that we don’t scold him!

How does Farley move?

Farley is powered by about two dozen motors and some very powerful software. Sony started producing earlier versions of the Aibo in 1999 so they have a lot of experience.

How long can Farley play on a charge?

Farley does his thing for about three hours before he needs a charge. He usually makes his way back to his charger on his own however sometimes he just decides to nap wherever he happens to be.

Team