aibo is an autonomous entertainment robot that coexists with humans. Combining sensor devices capable of recognizing the surrounding environment and humans with Sony’s original AI technology that connects aibo to the cloud, we sought to create a unique partner that always stands by its human owners.
To make aibo a product that the owner can truly relate to, we sought to create a design that is imbued with a sense of life. We aimed to create a cuddly, rounded figure that comprises organic curves joined seamlessly. aibo expresses rich emotions by following people with its eyes, exchanging glances, blinking, changes in pupils, and dynamic body movements and gestures. It is a product that proposes a new relationship between robots and humans where they coexist and establish heart-to-heart connections just like a family.

https://us.aibo.com/

The VISION-S Prototype is an EV prototype that is currently under development with the aim of “contributing to the evolution of mobility.” Based on the three key themes of safety achieved with sensing technology, entertainment cultivated through Sony’s electronics business, and adaptability enabled by 5G and over-the-air connectivity, we sought to embody a rich mobility experience of a kind that has never existed before.
This vehicle was designed with “OVAL” as its main concept, represented by the numerous sensors lining the circumference of the body. When the car is unlocked, a loop of light flows from the front to the rear—a visual effect representing the sensing technology that envelops the passengers. Inside the cabin, speakers mounted on each seat create a rich sound field using 360 Reality Audio. The panoramic screen that forms an arc along the front of the front seats provides an intuitive interface that features a card-type UI and original swipe operations.

https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/vision-s/

Airpeak S1 is a drone developed for video creators by harnessing Sony’s imaging, sensing, AI, and robotics technologies. Featuring the α™ Full-frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera, Airpeak S1 enables dynamic video production with its agile flight capabilities and stable control in midair using Sony’s original propulsion system.
The airframe was made as light as possible by using magnesium and carbon, and the overall shape was designed to minimize the surface area to reduce air drag. The no-frills design ensures stable flight even at high speeds. The airframe and controller, coupled with Airpeak Base (a web app that enables advance confirmation and flight planning) and Airpeak Flight (a mobile app for on-site shooting), form a unique aerial shooting system that delivers superior usability and a streamlined shooting experience.

https://electronics.sony.com/airpeak

Flow Machines is Sony Computer Science Laboratories’ (Sony CSL) research and development and social implementation project that aims to expand the creativity of creators in music. Flow Machines Pro/Mobile are AI-assisted music production tools that write and present melodies, chords, and baselines as intended by the music creator.
Based on the concept of “co-writing with AI,” Flow Machines automatically generates movies according to the character of each AI and plays them in the background of the UI’s Style Palette screens, making it feel as if the creator is co-creating music with a new acoustic life form. Co-creation by human creators and AI will open a new musical horizon.

https://www.flow-machines.com/

A mobile camera robot that can shoot live performances while following the movement of the artists. It can shoot artists up close on stage, enabling powerful and dynamic visual expression. During the shooting action, human operators can either control the robot or let the robot move around autonomously. We are aiming to realize a new kind of camera work that is hard to manage for humans, but possible for robots.
To make sure the robot does not stand out or look intimidating on stage, we adopted a rounded, approachable design. We are currently moving forward with its research and development as an application of robotics technology that effectively combines design and technology.

A mobile guide robot that can coexist with humans in living environments. It follows people’s movements and guides them by leading the way. It can also move autonomously to designated locations or along specified routes while adjusting the speed of travel and avoiding danger according to the surrounding environment. It can be used with various services and applications for guiding humans to their destinations, providing information, and advertising. These guide robots can also be operated in multiple units, communicating with each other to efficiently carry out tasks.
This robot features a simple structure that allows it to be used for various applications, and the design incorporates an arc representing the turning radius. We are currently moving forward with its research and development as an application of robotics technology that effectively combines design and technology and can coexist with humans.

In 2050, no matter how much technology may have advanced, it is probably impossible to completely eliminate all failures and other things that create stress in life. Helping people acquire the resilience to bounce back from setbacks may therefore enhance their well-being. A sudden end of a romantic relationship, failure at work, death of a family member—when something happens that disheartens you, an AI therapist that is morphed into a suitable appearance will offer counseling support to help you acquire resilience, using optimal methods tailored to your needs based on your emotional shifts, stress values, and other data.

Design Prototype: Resilience Program
An AI therapist in 2050 that helps people acquire resilience. This design prototype shows how the AI therapist will sense changes in your stress levels and emotion, and what kind of appearance it will take on to relieve stress.

In 2050, it is said that there will be more “climate refugees” who have lost their homes due to the impact of climate change, as well as emigrants who have been forced to leave their countries due to political problems. There may also come a time in the future when people live in floating mobile houses that drift across the world’s oceans. These groups of people could become like sea nomads, forming a unique ecosystem in which they coexist with the natural environment.

Design Prototype: Floating Habitat
When people from a wide range of cultural spheres are living on the ocean, how do people coexist with other people or with the environment? This design prototyping examines people’s life at sea in 2050 and the ecosystem they create from the perspective of housing.

The pandemic has brought with it a new culture of wearing a face mask. That culture may still be alive even in 2050. For this theme, we conceived of a new face mask as a key entertainment item that uses the sense of smell, whereas traditional entertainment focused on vision and hearing. Among the five senses, smell is said to have a direct impact on emotion and memory, and study in this area has advanced considerably in 2050. In this imagined future, smell can be reproduced digitally, and people can share particular scents and enjoy new forms of entertainment.

Design Prototype: Sensorial Entertainment
What will entertainment be like in 2050, when smell can be enjoyed as part of an entertainment? Our design prototyping explores the concept of a service and tool that can reproduce past scents based on vast amounts of emotion data that have been stored.

In 2050, a new social security system including a universal basic income may be implemented. In such a society, people may differentiate between “jobs” that are necessary to sustain people’s lives and “work” one does purely to enjoy life. Such differentiation may change people’s lifestyles and how they plan their lives. The advancement of complex sensing technologies and sophisticated simulation of one’s own assets (not just financial assets) might enable a new life-planning service to support people looking to take on various challenges in their lives.

Design Prototype: Life Simulator
In a society where values and lifestyles are more diverse, people will demand life planning that is optimized for each individual. We developed the concept of a service that allows people to simulate their lives and possibilities with great accuracy.