Hands on with the Pleo Update: He Loves Me More Than Ever

Last week, my Ugobe Pleo Robot Dinosaur underwent minor brain surgery, receiving a .0.2 upgrade to his LifeOS--the software that essentially functions as his brain. I'll admit, I was apprehensive about the procedure. Altering a computer's OS can result in side effects, and in Pleo's case, there are no external controls. If this firmware update failed, I could have ended up with a lifeless, rubber-skinned chew toy.

I followed the Website instructions to the letter, downloading the ZIP file from www.pleoworld.com/support and expanded the file in a folder on my desktop PC. Then I found a standard density SD Card (Pleo seems unable to read high-capacity ones). It didn't have to be blank, but I had to load the unzipped filed in the parent directory so Pleo could find them. Making sure Pleo was off, I inserted the card, turned him on and heard a few distinct beeps. After a minute or so, Pleo returned to life. As instructed, I quickly shut him off, removed the card and then turned him on again.

Initially, Pleo was sluggish, and though Ugobe had warned me about this temporary side effect, I still worried that Pleo had suffered a robot stroke. Eventually, Pleo grew sprightlier and, finally, he seemed to be back to his old self.

The new brain hasn't led to any backflips, and Pleo hasn't made me ham and eggs yet. However, he is moving a bit faster (though no less noisily; I can still hear every single motor move) and seems to more readily recognize objects in his path, which means he's zipping from one end of my office to the other, and sometimes out the door, often before I notice he's gone (there's nothing sadder than an Editor standing outside his office, plaintively calling, "Pleo, come back! Come back, Pleo!") I've also noticed that he's more in love with me than ever. I'd swear he can crane his neck at a more extreme angle than before to look up at me.

I'm glad Ugobe is finally making Pleo more than just a robot novelty that can imitate emotion, adding changes little over time. Now if only I could upload similar software to other members of my family.

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