INTRODUCTION The Japanese have again burst into the technology industry with the introduction of their newest product, Aibo, the robotic pet dog. Aibo is a Japanese word short for “companion”, and it also stands for Artificial Intelligence Robot. This creature is able to navigate its environment and respond to changes. This highly innovative idea began back in 1994 when Toshi T. Doi, Sony Corporations lead engineer, enlisted an artificial intelligence expert named Masarhiro Fujita to formulate …showed first 75 words of 938 total…

…showed last 75 words of 938 total…the holiday season to unveil Aibo. Sony’s apparent test marketing strategy could backfire on them, allowing competitors ample time to produce a similar, if not a better product. I think Aibo, the robotic pet dog and its future product line, show great promise for Sony. How could you not be attached to one of these robotic pets! REFERENCES 1. Joel R. Evans and Barry Berman, Marketing, 7th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall Inc, 1997