ugobeSarah posted on the pleoworld forums…

Hey all,

The folks that were behind this stunt did it without authorization or approval. It seems the prankster spirit overcame them, and FYI, there was quite a ruckus here in the office about it today. Many people were shocked and appalled, including the UGOBE reps at our Maker Faire booth!

We ourselves make emotional bonds with Pleo too!

Thanks for your concern! It is perhaps a small consolation to know that the Pleo destroyed was a factory prototype?

It won’t happen again under our watch!

So, I spoke about how much I loved the [ Pleo ] at Maker Faire last weekend… then today I was sent a video on You Tube of the Pleo being put into a combat ring with a combot.  I am not going to post the video since I find it rather disturbing.

First of all, let me make a few facts known.  I am not against combat bots and the sheer enjoyment of building a desctructobot to destroy other destructobots..  Nor am I some sort of wacky PETA person who is going to equate this to being the same thing as having “real” animals fight, since that is just stupid.

HOWEVER… Ugobe [ the company that makes the Pleo ] has created a robotic dino that is supposed to be very life-like. It is supposed to act like, and be treated like a pet, and yet they take this cute, cuddly dinosaur and stick it in the combat ring to be shredded and mutilated by a remote controlled lawn mower…

Sick.

You can hear kids in the background crying and people being noticeably disturbed by what is happening. Robots destroying robots can be quite enjoyable to watch, but only because those robots are not at all life like.  When you market your robot to be a life like cute pet, and have it programmed to act and react as such, it is irresponsible to engage it in these types of activities.

Ugobe, you should be ashamed of yourself.  I know I for one am embarrassed for you.