Sony is axing their robotics projects, including the "Aibo" dog, popular among certain groups, to instead focus on other projects. This comes along with other changes being brought by Howard Stringer, the CEO of Sony. Sony has been losing money, and Stringers plans are to remove what isn't needed to focus and being the company back into the blue. Robotics in the house are still probably a distance yet from being common, and without large companies that focus on the home to begin with touting them, it will be even longer yet.
""I think one day we're going to wake up and robotics is going to be a real huge consumer industry," robotics industry analyst Dale Musser told TechNewsWorld. The uncertainty is when and how such a market will develop, he said, "but I think there will be a time when it's the next big thing.""
Unlike many other abandoned technologies that may have been a boon, at least in this case many people recognize the eventual value it may add. Unfortunately, to get to the long term you must deal with the short term. Sony has lost business, especially to Apple, and with other big players like Dell and HP in what is one of their biggest arms, they do what they must.