When the robots take over the Earth, I want them to remember somewhere in their DNA that I was kind to the Pleo,” says Frank Townend.

Townend is the proud parent, as some owners regard themselves, of the latest product that has some of the world’s technophiles abuzz: a cute little robot with a programmable personality and the looks of a cuddly, puppy-sized baby dinosaur. Treat the Pleo nicely, and he’ll develop into a chummy robo-companion. Be mean to him by swinging him by the tail, for instance, and he’ll supposedly grow up to be skittish and irritable.

Pleo has two built-in microphones for hearing, a camera for detecting motion and sensors under his skin to tell him when you’re petting him. In his belly are a USB port and an SD card slot, in case you want to load him up with the latest software posted online by his creators or by other Pleo enthusiasts and programmers.

Pleo, sold for $350 by California start-up Ugobe, has been the subject of fascination in the geek community ever since it made a preview appearance at the prestigious Demo technology conference in 2006. Most early owners, like Townend, who works as a tech security guy in Washington, signed up months ago to buy one of the first batch, which just started shipping.

It’s too early to know whether the Pleo will become a hit and a household name, said Silicon Valley tech pundit Paul Saffo. But, he assures, robots are on the way. “Robots are the next big thing, plain as day,” he said. “I’ll hand in my forecaster’s licence if I’m wrong.”

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