iFixit Press Releases
Pleo Coldly Dissected by iFixit
ATASCADERO, California-- January 14, 2008.
In a departure from their usual iPod-dissecting routine, iFixit has disassembled Pleo, Ugobe's loveable robotic dinosaur. The first look includes high-resolution photos of Pleo's innovative and intricate guts. (Yes, we got bored reading all the pre-Macworld rumors, too.) The online
disassembly is available immediately at:
http://www.iFixit.com/Guide/First-Look/Pleo
Pleo's epidermis is a rubbery plastic skin, which is fused into a single piece during his creation. His cuddly appearance belies the tremendous complexity apparent once you cut him open. Our high-resolution photos of the robot reveal fourteen motors, over one hundred gears, and fifteen circuit boards. Pleo's tail uses an ingenious mechanism of plastic vertebrae and gears, powered by two motors that give his tail surprisingly flexible and natural motion.
Since Pleo was designed with small children in mind, Ugobe's engineers went to great lengths to make Pleo a durable little dinosaur. The photos reveal the extent of hardening and shielding required to ruggedize the gearboxes and electronics.
While Pleo was designed to use easily updatable software to modify his behavior, the complex and interconnected nature of Pleo's internals will make repairing a damaged Pleo difficult. There are literally hundreds of parts inside Pleo, all of which must interact together perfectly for Pleo to operate properly. Only time will tell if available and affordable healthcare for Pleo will become a problem in the future.
If you're lucky enough to have a Pleo, we don't recommend trying this at home, especially if your Pleo is still living. Although our Pleo wasn't broken during the surgery, he'll never be the same again. Although Ugobe is amazingly adroit at emulating behavior and conveying emotion, they haven't got the healing functionality down just yet. Hopefully thanks to the sacrifice of our brave little Pleo, no more dinosaurs will be dismembered in the name of science.
About iFixit
iFixit is the Mac+iPod do-it-yourself company. iFixit launched in 2003 and instantly became the leader in the Mac laptop part industry. iFixit introduced iPod parts in 2006, and added iPhone parts in 2007. iFixit is dedicated to helping people everywhere keep their Macs, iPods, and iPhones running longer. For more information, visit: www.iFixit.com or call 1-866-61-FIXIT.