Elroy! What’s Happened to Astro?

He walks and barks, wags his tail and even kicks a ball. But this doggy is unlike any pooch you’ve ever seen.

Yep, this pup doesn’t make messes because it never needs to chow down or lap up water. He doesn’t require vet visits, petting or treats.

That’s because he’s made of steel, powered by a battery and his innards are computer parts: a 64-bit processor, internal memory chip, a camera in his head and touch, hearing, sight and balance sensors that allow his 18 joints to move his 3 1/2 pounds of computerized canine.

This Fido of the future even has a name: Aibo.

Five years in the making by Sony Electronics’ Tokyo-based robot division, Digital Creatures Laboratories, Aibo is already an Internet bestseller, says Yosh Kambe, director of Sony’s Entertainment Robot America in Culver City.

Within 20 minutes, 3,000 robot pets sold out in Japan last week after going on sale only over the Internet for slightly more than $2,000. The canine has hit cyberspace shopping in the U.S. at $2,500 each and can be checked out at: https://www.world.sony.com/robot.

“It’s not just a toy and it’s not a replacement for your real pet,” Kambe says, excitedly. “It’s a robot. It’s entertainment. It’s about life in the next century!”

Down, boy.