Slashdot Mirror
Robot Pets Almost as Good as Real Ones?
Gallamine writes "Many people claim that pets are good for their owners. But, what about robot pets? Some scientists at the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue's Veterinary school say yes, robot pets can benefit humans. Petting an AIBO caused the human stress hormone cortisol to decrease in patients, much like a real dog, although the effects weren't as pronounced. Also, AIBOs sent to nursing homes caused the residents to be less depressed and lonely. Similar research is being done by Dr. Dr. Takanori Shibata with his robotic seal named Pero."
No robot can ever replace my pet rock!
I wonder how much an electric sheep would cost...
The mess that real dog leaves in the corner?
in the future, sony's aibo will spy on it's owners for playing copied DVD's and CD's... it will then use it's wifi to connect to your access point and let it's evil master sony know what you are doing... but really, who has $2k to blow on some pice of crap, robosapien kicks ass anyday!
Excuses Are Like Assholes - Everybody's Got One
I, for one, welcome our robotic canine overlords
I change my sig often.
That's exactly what I would have called it. Yep...
Play with it long enough, and you get committed.
...by woody allen (in Sleeper)
"...and after you've moved into your permanent home, you'll enjoy mechanized servants. Until then, you can have a computerized dog."
[rags the robot dog, in computer voice] Woof. Woof. Woof. Hello, I'm Rags.
[woody allen] Is he housebroken, or will he be leaving little batteries all over the floor?
"Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it." -- Donald Knuth
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
"Doctor! Doctor! I feel like a robotic pet!"
"Yes, yes, calm down. Aibo-leive you."
A robot cat would also have to be able to detect those with a deep seated fear of cats and then dig their claws into them.
From the PARO Q&A section:
Ai-ai-ai!