Sony Corp. on Wednesday unveiled a new version of AIBO, the artificially intelligent robotic dog that is one of the Japanese electronics maker's most iconic products from the early 2000s.

The move marks Sony's return to the robotics business after discontinuing the AIBO in 2006. The latest model will feature a bevy of sensors including a camera embedded in the nose, and will go on sale in Japan on Jan. 11 for 198,000 yen ($1,750), excluding tax, plus at least 90,000 yen for a three-year data plan, the company said.

While predecessors mostly had metallic bodies and featureless faces, the new model -- stylized in lowercase as "aibo" -- more closely resembles a real dog with a smooth white body and two large, digital eyes. It is also capable of more realistic movement thanks to specially-developed actuators.

Cloud-based AI will enable it to react when spoken to and petted, and learn new behavior.

Sony Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai told a press conference he hopes the product would become "a partner that grows along with users."

Bringing about a radical change in the consumer robot market upon its release in 1999, the AIBO was discontinued after seven years amid restructuring efforts as Sony was hit by losses in its mainstay TV business.

Having turned around its TV business and finding success in image sensors for smartphones, the company said Tuesday it expects record profits in the fiscal year through March 2018.

The first AIBO