Sony Group Corporation / Sony AI

Sony Group was founded in 1946 in Tokyo and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 6758). In robotics the group is best known for the aibo robot dog line, developed since 1999 and relaunched in its current form — the ERS-1000 — in January 2018. It is one of the longest-running home robots on the market and still the reference point for companion machines. Alongside aibo there is Sony AI, a research unit that publishes work on real-world artificial intelligence and robotics; trade reports have also mentioned work toward a humanoid robot, but without specifications or dates, so we treat them only as a signal of direction. The biggest change of recent months is the June 2026 announcement: Sony said it would end aibo sales in Japan once stock runs out, while sales, technical support and cloud subscriptions in the United States continue with no announced end date. The home-robot market is outlined under “Home robots”, and the broader context in “Humanoid Robot Market Forecasts”.

In our catalog Sony is represented by Sony aibo ERS-1000, a robot dog in the home robots category. It has 22 degrees of freedom (DOF), quite a lot for a machine built for companionship; what such figures mean is explained in “Degrees of Freedom (DOF) in Humanoid Robots”. Battery life is about 2 hours. The US price is 2,899.99 USD (about 11,241 PLN (≈ EUR 2,580)) and includes three years of the AI Cloud plan, after which the subscription costs 300 USD a year. On the second-hand market (eBay) units circulate in a range of 900–2,800 USD, depending on condition. Buyers are households looking for a pet substitute or entertainment, not practical uses — aibo does not manipulate objects. Running costs go beyond the purchase price, because without the cloud some of the robot's behaviors lose their point; we describe similar cost logic in “How Much Does a Humanoid Robot Cost in 2026”. We have no datasheet with weight and dimensions, so we do not state them; tips for reading such documents are collected in “How to Read a Robot Datasheet”. For the record: our catalog holds no other Sony robot products, so the assessment of the company rests on a single device rather than a broad model line.

Aibo remains a niche in the robot-pet segment and has no direct counterpart with comparable brand recognition. Unlike home helpers with manipulators, such as 1X Technologies or Sunday Robotics, aibo does no household chores; it competes with other companion robots for attention, not for tasks. The manufacturer does not publish sales volumes, so we do not assess scale. The withdrawal from Japan shows that even a brand this recognizable must reckon with the economics of a category in which revenue rests on a device plus a subscription. Whether keeping US sales going with no end date signals a lasting strategy or merely a prolonged wind-down, the sources do not settle. Context on the new entrants in the home is given in “1X Neo Home Robot on Pre-Order”. For a reader comparing home robots the takeaway is practical: aibo is chosen for the relationship and presence in the home, not for functions that, in this category, only new machines with arms promise.

Official aibo distribution in Poland is not confirmed, and in our catalog the model is listed as unavailable in the country. The manufacturer also gives no plans for the European market. A Polish buyer would therefore have to rely on individual import or the second-hand market, with risks around warranty and access to cloud services in the region. Home use cases are discussed on the page “Home”, and domestic companies in the field in the overview “Polish Robotics Companies”. A further unknown is the language and scope of cloud services outside the markets where Sony officially sells the robot; the manufacturer does not say, how the AI Cloud plan works for users outside Japan and the United States.

Aibo is a polished but niche companion robot for collectors and people seeking emotional value rather than practical benefits. The end of sales in Japan and the lack of an official presence in Poland call for cautious purchase planning. It is sensible to include the three-year cloud plan and the later 300 USD a year in the total cost. If you decide to buy anyway, buy from a seller who clearly describes the unit's condition and subscription status.