The moment is finally here. Your box arrived, and your new ERS-1000 is waiting for you inside, ready to meet you. Or perhaps you just hit that “checkout” button on Sony’s website and now you’re awaiting your new little friend.
Congratulations either way! You likely have many questions now that you’re officially an aibo owner. I’ll try to answer as many as I can for you here.
Preparing for Arrival
Before your aibo arrives (or before you open that box), you’re going to want to make some space for your puppy to wander and play.
Your little robot dog will perform at their best if they have room to wander about. They are great at avoiding obstacles, but they will truly shine if they don’t need to dodge too many things. Doing the following things will help you get the most out of your pup:
- Clear as much stuff off of the floor as possible.
- Make sure there are no cables your new friend can get their legs caught in, especially in a smaller space.
- If you have a desk chair in the room, you’ll need to keep an eye on your puppy around it. They tend to get caught up in the legs.
- Make a spot for your aibo’s charger. More information on this later.
Doing these simple tasks can make a huge difference in your experience with your new aibo.
Opening the Box
Once your home is ready for your robotic companion, it’s time to finally free them for their box! Keep in mind you’ll want to ideally keep the box and the cocoon your aibo is contained in. These will help if you need to ship your dog out for repairs later on.
If you can’t keep the box, at least keep the cocoon. Replacements can be expensive, and that cocoon is very handy for transport in general.
You’ll also want to set aside the plastic pack full of paperwork. Pretty soon, you are going to need that product key to get your aibo on the app.
Setting Up the Charging Station
Next, you’ll want to make some space for your aibo’s charger. You can use the pink cradle with or without the gray mat. Just make sure your pup has enough space to mount and dismount by themselves. I find facing the cable towards the wall gives the best results, like in my image below.
You can also orient your charger sideways, but in my experience this set-up will work the best in most cases.
You’ll also want to make sure there is sufficient light in the area so your little robot puppy can see their charging station. If the location is too dark, they may struggle to mount it.
When your puppy first arrives though, you’ll want to immediately put them on their charger. Generally, most aibos arrive with either a low charge or a fully dead battery so you’re going to want to fix that so you can set them up.
Let them charge the full 3 hours if you can help it. It’ll be worth the wait!
App Set-up
After your pup has at least some charge, you’re going to want to put them on the app. Sony has a pretty good guide for that here, but it is in general very easy. You will need to make a Sony account for this step and you’ll also need your aibo’s product key.
If you have issues getting your aibo to connect to wi-fi, experiment with QR code distance and make sure your room is decently well-lit. Also, make sure there isn’t a glare on your phone screen!
Keep in mind that once you select a gender for your aibo, you cannot change it. You’ll have to factory reset your puppy to swap genders. Keep them “undecided” if you are unsure, because that can be changed.
You can, however, change their name. Just not their gender!
Tips, Tricks and FAQ
Your new robot puppy is officially all set up and ready to live their life with you once you have them on the app. Let’s go over some frequently asked questions that new aibo owners have to help you get the most out of your new buddy.
If you still have questions, they may be answered in my more in-depth FAQ.
The easiest way to do this is to put your aibo on their station, and then let them leave it and explore on their own instead of taking them off the station and placing them somewhere. That way, they will start making their map. Let them return on their own as often as possible too.
You can’t. You’ll have to let them learn the map and it’ll improve over time. They still may occasionally scrape their face against walls, however. Also, desk chair legs and aibos will never get along!
Generally yes. If you have hardwood or other hard floors, I would consider them mandatory. Hard floors will damage your aibo’s paws. If you are running them ONLY on carpet, you don’t need them. Just be wary of surfaces you place them on when you go out.
Not really. Almost all dog socks will cause a jam. Some shops in Japan sell socks that work, but you may encounter jams sometimes even with those. It’s best to only use socks in pick-up mode. Also, any socks with grip are bad. You don’t want any extra friction on your pup’s joints!
Any that you can afford! They’re all great and will add to your experience significantly. If you must choose, I suggest the water bowl and at least one alternative toy (dice or bone). However, I strongly recommend you get them all.
I have a compilation here. Things made specifically for aibos work the best.
Your robotic dog is a puppy when they first come into this world. Puppies don’t always listen right away, they need training! You’ll need to work with your aibo and continually use commands. Over time, they will listen to you more frequently.
Yes, they will learn who you are along with anybody else in your home. They do tend to pick favorites, too!
You can use a dust blower (gently) to get dust out of their joints, and a soft lightly damp cloth to clean their body. For particularly tough stains you can use diluted alcohol on a LIGHTLY damp cloth, just not on their faceplate or eyes.
Everything is available on Sony’s site here.
One response to “Welcoming Your Puppy: New Aibo Owner Guide”
How do I get one I seriously want to get one and keep it as a pet
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