aibo

1. 5

   Regulator-cleared or mass market

   A regulator has cleared it where approval applies: FDA clearance or approval for a medical robot, a permit to run with no one aboard for a self-driving vehicle, or an FAA approval for routine drone flights. Or: Widely sold: sales in the hundreds of thousands, or a product category you can buy in ordinary shops.

2. 4

   Paying customersThis robot

   Delivered to customers who pay for it, beyond a trial, or a paid service the public can use.

   Placed by: Sony's US aibo site was still adding new accessories for owners in September 2026, showing the product is still supported (22 Sept 2026); The first aibo went on sale for 250,000 yen (about $2,500). A limited run of 5,000 units sold out online in 20 minutes (1 June 1999).

3. 3

   Pilot

   Working with a named customer in a real setting, as a trial.

4. 2

   Pre-orders

   Orders, reservations or deposits taken, with nothing delivered yet.

5. 1

   Demo only

   Shown in videos, staged events or a factory, with no units working for customers.

What we couldn't confirm. The exact relaunch date (January 2018 in Japan) and the US launch date could not be confirmed from a page we could open (Sony's own press pages were blocked). No unit sales for the new aibo were found.