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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."
Seriously, I love cats, but contrary to popular belief, they are the LEAST "spiritual" animals I know.
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
of course robot pets will work, just like teddy bear works. And is much cheaper.
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#\ @ ? Colonize Mars
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"So is a real dog, just the parts are squishier and the programme is more complex"
Sometimes the less complex program of an electronic dog is a plus, as it would lack these functions:
1. Go apeshit when the doorbell rings
2. Piddle in the corner at random times
3. Jump on visitors
4. Hump visitors' legs and sniff their crotches
5. Suffer from separation anxiety when you go to work
6. Fish out "treats" from the catbox.
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BMO
They don't get sick, thus don't have vet fees amounting to hundreds a year (if not thousands). They don't pee, they don't shit. They don't cause lawsuits from the paper boy who just got his gonads chewed. And you can silent a yapping robot pet by taking out its batteries and not get the SPCA on your ass.
So hell yeah... robot pets are definitely better than those damn pesky biological ones!
Welley Corporation - SLM Scammers
How much stress relief is your robot pet going to give you when he gets the blue screen of death?
At one time, a toy store had a clearance sale on those Virtual Pets, those things with the little LCD screen you hang around your neck, and feed and take care of, for like $1 a piece. Cut little pixelated pandabear. I was like, whoa!, awesome bargain, I figured I could give them to little kids I saw and brighten their day. I bought 20 of them. Came with battery and everything, all you had to do was pull out a little piece of paper to make battery contact and the thing was off and running.
Let me tell you, those were the most ***!^@^#$^#$ annoying things in the world. Even though they had a clock built in, they had no concept of time. Would beep at you constantly, at random, 3 hours, here, there everywhere, all through the night. You wanted to smash the !@@##$$% hell out of them, and this was just with one running.
People are going to feel the same about robot pets. Like shut the @#$%%^ up, you piece of #$%%^^. Its absolutely a braindead idea. Geeks are such incredibly brilliant morons who are long short on common sense, and this is just another example.
Computers and people are a pain enough in this world. The less you have of both, the more stress free your life is. Notice how stressed out you get when your computer is not running absolutely optimal. Exactly. Or when friends are hitting you up to do something for them or bail them out of some bs? Get rid of them all.
Robot pets = more junk for the recycle bin
Robots that do useful but repetitive work over and over with zero maintenance or user input = golden
My microwave = a beautiful thing
My honda rebel motorbike, that cranks up everytime = a beautiful thing
An analog dial thermomenter on my wall, that always words and needs no batteries = a beautiful thing
The brick that holds up my house via compression, and will last for thousands of years and still work =
Aluminum, that is an excellent roofing material, because it never rusts (well not technically, but when it does, it makes a ruby hard surface when oxidized that protects it forever)
Glass, because if not shattered, lasts a million years
A beautiful thing
Whats not beautiful:
Windows computers, that crash and break when you overload them
Linux computers, that are buggery complicated and obtuse to configure or remember a long line of command line params for (nigh impossible if you are diabetic or hypglycemic), and whos man pages are total garbage
Mac comptuers, that you have to reboot everytime you pick a new set of extensions, and freeze with a rectangle and a bomb in them.
All cars, in general, that were never built with any study made by an engineer actually going into a junk yard, and seeing what lasts
Iron, steel because it rusts and turns to junk
Wood, because it rots
Rats, dirt, dust, lint, and spiders, because you always are having to clean up after them (in my computer shop)
You know, in 20 years in the comptuer business, the only piece of computer hardware I have ever had that has never become obsolete and turned to junk, is the ubiquitous standardized power cord. The POWER CORD! All other computer hardware, even keyboards and mice (switching from AT, to PS2, to USB) have become obsolete and crap. But these power cords, as humble as the are, are the only thing that have resisted obsolecene. Why, because its a !@#$ standsard that should never be changed. When you !@#$ with ANSI, you mess us all over.
I imagine now that I have posted this, the morons in the computer industry for no other reason are going to switch to different power cords, just to sell us all more power cords cause we have to buy them, because our old ones won't work anymore.
Wake me up when they build a cuddly robotic kitten, that will ride around on my shoulder being cute at people for the rest of eternity!
Why not? A brain is nothing but a computer and emotions are nothing but a function of the mind. If it is hard programmed to do these emotions then it is only a mimic. If it learns them itself then it is feeling them.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
No way could futurama exist without sleeper.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Are you sure? Can you prove that? Can you state what it is makes a 'real' animal different from a robot, other than several orders of magnitude of complexity?
Something that will never be duplicated by a robot is a pet's personality and individual look.
Most all these robots look and act the same, its fun for a week and then it is just another gadget.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Japan has it right with this. Their robotic technology is getting better all the time and robo pets are developing among a population which seems to be willing to accept them. If only for the mental health benefits this can only be seen as a plus. Companionship without the moral responsibility at least for those who are otherwise unable to take care of a pet any longer because of age or infirmity. People who are otherwise unable to maintain relationships for other reasons because of mental or development problems are another group this can actually benefit. There is a human need for companionship and interaction and this sort of thing seems to be a good evolution toward fulfilling that need.
Enjoy your Karma, after all you earned it. Feel your Karma Joe, feel it burn.
You believe the brain to be all of your mind.
I think science will prove otherwise with time. Physics include both relativity and quantuum physics, and there seems to be no end to the mystery in sight. String theory is dealing with what? 10-15 dimensions? How can you say it's all mechanical when science have been dealing with the mysterious the last 30-40 years?
Newton introduced the mechanical clockwork universe as a metaphor. He didn't even believe in it himself, it was just a model for calculating certain macrocosmic phenomena to him. Both Einstein and Newton respected and understood several concepts of God. Newton was christian to his death even.
This newfangled ignorance about it all, and calling it "science", is startling to me.
http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/
I've known a lot of stupid dogs that also think you are playing with it. Some dogs, you just simply can't punish, because no matter what you do, they think you are trying to play with it. It's absolutely hopeless. That's why I think something like this robotic seal is an advancement. It actually learns!!! A robotic pet would be much easier to train, because it would have a more intuitive learning system, that works the way a human would think that a pet should learn.
I have a five-month old baby who has had three ear infections so far. Every time, two days before he showed outward symptoms, one of our dogs (who sees herself as his "mommy") has started to incessantly lick the ear that was infected. I don't think that the robotic pets are going to do that!
Or, it could be read as: Your dog licks the ear of your child, which then takes 2 days to incubate any bacteria and present symptoms.
Live forever, or die trying.