Ugobe

Ugobe creates robotic "lifeforms" - robots that not only mimic lifelike behavior but actually learn and develop over time. Pleo, based on a one-week-old Camarasaurus dinosaur, was Ugobe's first lifeform, and featured a personality would change over time in idiosyncratic ways, depending on the way it was treated and the experiences it had. Ugobe pioneered a new type of product in order to reach an audience far beyond robot enthusiasts. This larger audience was not intended to be limited to the obvious - those who would be interested in Pleo for its technology or children, who would respond to it as a toy. Rather than fitting into either of those categories, the company wanted the public to understand Pleo as a new type of pet, aimed at adults rather than children. Ugobe asked Method to design a website, where interested visitors could find out about Pleo and Pleo owners could join a community, sharing stories and pictures of their Pleos and even making Pleo playdates. The site would also house resources for developers, who could create new behaviors that could be downloaded to Pleos. Method's challenge was to create an architecture that would find the right balance among these purposes and a visual tone that allowed Pleo to appear both cuddly and sophisticated (Pleo retails for $350). Our design allows Pleo's actions to speak for themselves, staging a video of Pleo in action against a clean white background. The design for the Pleo "plog" (Pleo blogs by users) showcases owners' images, videos, and stories about their pets.

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