Pleo Robotic Dinosaur Set for Rebirth

Pleo, the lovable, green robotic dinosaur, is getting a second lease on life. After going through a bankruptcy that nearly killed it, the dinosaur is set to be reborn with a new skin and upgraded features. The revamped Pleo will be called Pleo RB and will come in new colors such as purple and blue […]
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Pleo, the lovable, green robotic dinosaur, is getting a second lease on life. After going through a bankruptcy that nearly killed it, the dinosaur is set to be reborn with a new skin and upgraded features.

The revamped Pleo will be called Pleo RB and will come in new colors such as purple and blue with slight variations across all models.

"We're going to change color on the production line and eye color, so two Pleos coming off the line at the same time will look different," Derek Dotson, CEO of Innvo Labs told the BobThePleo forum.

Each Pleo will now be seeded with a "personality" on the assembly line so off the shelf some Pleos will learn faster, while others get happier faster, says Dotson.

"It will be not only how you treat it that will affect it's personality, but it is actually born with certain characteristics," he says.

The new Pleos will have a battery life of up to two hours and an RFID-based "sense of smell."

Pleo's comeback will be mark a new chapter in the robotic dinosaur's rocky history. Pleo launched in January 2007 for about $350. It's range of motion and ability to respond to human interaction made it a favorite among robot and toy enthusiasts. In two years, Pleo maker Ugobe sold about 100,000 Pleos.

But in April last year, Ugobe filed for liquidation. While that signaled the end for the road for Pleo, a Hong Kong-based company Jetta stepped in to buy the intellectual property rights and other assets for the Pleo. Jetta spun out a company called Innvo Labs, which is now in charge of the Pleo.

The new Pleos are expected to be available later this month but there's still no word on how much they will cost. It is also not clear if Pleo RB will be sold in the U.S. as Dotson says so far they have tied up distribution for the Asia market only.

Check out the video to see what the reborn Pleo looks like:

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Photo: Pleo (Steve Rhodes/Flickr)