Planet Gadgets Gadget Blog

Pleo - the cute lil’ dinosaur robot

by Darren

Usually you think of robots as scary. They’re something right out of a horror movie, complete with a scaly look and a ferocious snarl. Not the Pleo though. Pleo is cute. Sure, you can’t really make the argument that Ugobe’s Pleo is practical. But it really is cool. It’s based on a Camarasaurus, a lobanle long-necked dinosaur that once roamed the Earth during the Jurassic period, eating plants and generally getting along with others.

The Pleo is the brainchild of Caleb Chung, a former street mime and the inventor of the Furby. These things are cute, but they will take a dinosaur-sized bite out of your wallet at $250.

Demand is running high for the critter. Pleo is an autonomous robot. It doesn’t run on a remote control, and it “learns” the commands of the owner.