Hasta La Gadget!

Pleo, the lovable, green robotic dinosaur, isn’t willing to go away quietly. It is set to make a comeback after a Hong Kong based company Jetta bought the intellectual property rights and other assets to it from a bankruptcy sale.

In April, Pleo’s parent company Ugobe had fired all its employees and filed for liquidation. Ugobe had been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy for months before that. The company was troubled by management changes, a cash crunch and sagging demand for the robots.

The Pleo was first launched in January 2007 for about $350. With its graceful motion and an uncanny ability to respond to human interaction, it became a favorite among robot and toy enthusiasts. In two years, Ugobe sold about 100,000 Pleos. But the company’s bankruptcy was seen as the end of the road for the robot.

Not necessarily, says its new owner. Jetta is “firmly committed” to re-launching Pleo and its accessories, according to the Robots Rule website. Jetta has five production campuses in Guangdong province in China and hopes to make the Pleo a part of its portfolio.

See also:
Pleo Robotic Dinosaur Maker Goes Bankrupt
Unloved and Overpriced, Consumer Robots Battle for Survival

Photo: Pleo (dh/Flickr)