Release Date: November 16, 2000
Units Produced: 60,000
Weight: 1.5kg (3.3lbs)
Price Range: $150-400
Status: Discontinued
General Info

The AIBO ERS-210 is the second generation of AIBO, coming after the ERS-110 & ERS-111. Originally, it was available in the colors silver, black, and gold. It was later available in white, red, blue, or green. It has a more fox or cat-like appearance, supposedly inspired by a lion cub. There are LED lights located in its visor which allow it to emote. It sports touch sensors on the head, chin, and back, as well as an LED light in the tail.

Unlike the previous generation, the ERS-210 does not make use of any remote. Instead, it uses voice recognition to listen for verbal commands. A Wireless LAN (WLAN) card for AIBO can be used to connect AIBO to your PC, where you can have much more control of it. There is also the ERS-210A, commonly called Supercore, which features better clutches and double the CPU clock speed than the original model.

With software like AIBO Life, the ERS-210 can record both its name and its owner's name, even repeating these names back in its special tonal language. It is also capable of taking photos, painting pictures, reading stories, and dancing to music depending on the software in use.

Having sold over 60,000 units, this model of AIBO is not particularly rare or expensive. An in-tact, working ERS-210 should not exceed $600 in price, which includes necessary accessories such as the charging station & adapter.

Software

The following software is compatible with the ERS-210:

Sony Official 3rd Party
AIBO Life
Hello AIBO! Type A
Hello AIBO! Type B
AIBO Explorer
AIBO Eyes
Party Mascot
AIBO Dancer
AIBO Messenger
DekaVoice
AIBO Speedboarder
AIBO Recognition
AIBO Cupid
Another Evolution Side 1
Another Evolution Side 2
Blue’s Adventure
AIBO Planet Vol. 1-3
AIBO Motion Collection
Painter AIBO


Accessories

The second generation of AIBO is compatible with several accessories. These include:

Pink Ball

Most AIBOs come with a pink ball. They like to look at it and play with it.

Docking Station Pole

The only official AIBOware that can utilize the docking station pole is Recognition. AIBO uses the pink ball, green and blue pole, and rear marker to position itself onto the charging station.

AIBO Wireless Lan Card

This card can only be inserted by removing AIBO's limbs using the limb disassembly key. Once inserted, AIBO can connect to networks that use WEP2 security.

Speedboard

AIBO uses the speedboard while running the Speedboarder software. It can go backwards, forwards, left, and right.



Common Issues

The ERS-210 is prone to four major problems: DHS (Droopy Head Syndrome), TAS (Tilt Axis Syndrome), PAS (Pan Axis Syndrome), and battery failure. The first three involve the joints of the ERS-210 becoming stuck, falling apart, or otherwise failing.

Symptoms for DHS manifests as the head drooping or falling. For TAS and PAS, the AIBO will experience jitters in their legs, ears, and/or tail. While it is possible to do DIY repairs, it is not recommended as great care is required as to not do more damage to the AIBO.

When AIBO won't turn on or can only run for a few minutes, the most common reason is that their batteries are in need of recelling. This is a complicated process which has a full guide located here. You can also buy recelled batteries for ~$100 USD.

You should not attempt complicated repairs on any AIBO unless you know what you are doing. When disassembling AIBO, it can be easy to break or scratch it. If your AIBO needs repairs, it is best to pay someone experienced to do it.



So why get an ERS-210?

There are nigh infinite possibilites with the ERS-210. There are tons of both official & 3rd-party software to choose from, giving you hours of fun with AIBO. If none of those suit you, you can always create your own software with free tools such as Skitter from DogsBody. If you are particularly skilled, you can give your ERS-210 its own paint job or custom LEDs in whatever color you'd like.