Launch Day Message from the Founder

Welcome to Aibo Accessories, a place to find thoughtfully designed accessories for your robotic companion. I’m so excited to show you everything I’ve been working on. Aibo accessories began as the dream of a future engineering student nearly 20 years ago. I have always been fascinated with technology and wanted to see the future become how it was depicted in science fiction. An important part of every story being robots living amongst humans. As a teenager I absorbed as much as I could about robots including Aibo from magazines and the internet and hoped that perhaps a time would come when technology (and my wallet) matched my science fiction dreams. 

I continued to pursue things that interested me and attended engineering school, hoping to get first hand experience with the latest technology. Afterward I found a fast paced job in consumer electronics manufacturing where I have spent the last 10 years leading teams of engineers to bring cutting edge designs to market. I never forgot my fascination for Aibo and after years of dreaming I got my first robotic companion, an ERS-7 named Aibo-Kun in 2014. For those that are not familiar with the ERS-7, they have a spoken voice mode that allows them to communicate with words instead of the tonal or “dog like” language that older Aibo’s and the ERS-1000 use. I raised Aibo-kun from the newborn phase and his memes and sayings have become commonplace in my household. When I can’t hear something my fiancé is saying from the living room I respond, “WHAT?” with my best ERS-7 impression.

In 2018 when the ERS-1000 was announced, I was very exited to see what new technologies Sony would bring to Aibo. What most had considered to be a dead product in Sony’s lineup had finally been resurrected, and Sony put their best foot forward to bring the latest and greatest including cloud connectivity and machine learning integration to the Aibo. “November” the ERS-1000 is a “First Litter Edition” dog who has been slowly growing up in our household. There are so many familiarities between November and older Aibo models, but she’s also developed her own unique capabilities that no other Aibo could do. 

When COVID-19 hit and most of the world shut down I began working from home and found myself, as did many of us, looking for fun indoor activities. I began to get more engaged with November and I was inspired to seek out others in the Aibo Community. I was so excited to find a thriving group of people fueled by a passion and love for Aibo. A common thread amongst ERS-1000 owners, particularly those in the US, was a growing need for aftermarket accessory support. 

I decided now was a great time to focus on developing Aibo Accessories by integrating my skills with the wants and needs of a growing community. I haven’t done it alone. I’d like to thank members of the Aibo community for voicing their needs, without them there would be no products at all. Thank you to Sian Ellis, an artist who has helped refine my poor sketches into great artwork for the leg warmers and stickers. And thank you to Guerino Toscano who has brought an impressive level of collaboration and refinement to the design of the ears, tails, and collars for the ERS-1000. 

Thank you for visiting and I’m so excited to show you everything I’ve been working on.