Robotic pets are artificially intelligent machines that are made to resemble actual pets. While the first robotic pets produced in the late 1990s were not too advanced, they have since grown technologically. Many now use machine learning (algorithms that allow machines to adapt to experiences independent of humans), making them much more realistic. [1] Most consumers buy robotic pets with the aim of getting similar companionship that biological pets offer, without some of the drawbacks that come with caring for live animals. [1] [2] The pets on the market currently have a wide price range, from the low hundreds into the several thousands of dollars. [3] Multiple studies have been done to show that we treat robotic pets in a similar way as actual pets, despite their obvious differences. [4] [5] [6] However, there is some controversy regarding how ethical using robotic pets is, and whether or not they should be widely adopted in elderly care. [3] [7] [8]
The first known robotic pet was a robot dog called Sparko, built by the American company Westinghouse in 1940. It never got sold due to poor public interest [ citation needed ].
The first robotic pets to be put on the market were Hasbro's Furby in 1998 and Sony's AIBO in 1999. [1] Since then, robotic pets have grown increasingly advanced.
The shapes of the robotic pet includes:
Some popular robotic pets today are: [1]
The primary consumer group is elderly people that live alone or in nursing homes, who often suffer from loneliness and social isolation. [3] [10] For this group, robotic pets can be helpful because they often are unable to consistently walk, feed, or otherwise take care of an actual pet. [2] Robotic pets are also marketed towards dementia patients, who are people that suffer from loss of memory and thinking skills. These people often suffer extreme loneliness due to not remembering their loved ones, but having physical contact and constant reminders of a robotic pet can lessen that feeling. [3] For example, a study done in Texas and Kansas found that dementia residents who had group sessions with a PARO (brand of robotic pet) for three months showed decreased anxiety and less behavioral problems, when compared to a control group that experienced activities in a traditional nursing home, such as music and physical activity. [11]
Robotic Pets can be helpful when it comes to patients unable to perform consistent physical action because AIBO performs slower than a live animal. In addition, patients unable to contact their loved ones due to infectious diseases can be eased the loneliness feeling when interacting with AIBO. [12] The new AIBO ERS-1000 AIBO model can be used in household use or therapy. [13] Furthermore, a Qualitative study associated with National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) has shown the bright future of robot-assisted therapy during special medical care. [14] The experiment was conducted with children who were hospitalised in NCCHD; two physicians observed the participants throughout the experiment and rendered a qualitative analysis to evaluate the possibility of applying robotic Pet in medical. The result of the experiments in National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) was given out a dominant positive result when the children interact with AIBO (ERS-1000); the research has proved that robot-assisted therapy was effectively medically purposed, especially in the case of a pediatric ward. [14]
When robotic pets were first introduced into the market, they were not very financially feasible for most people. Even now, there remains a large price gap between different types of robotic pets. For example, PAROs robotic pet seals cost $6,120, making them unaffordable to most individual consumers. [3] They are therefore bought more by nursing homes, hospitals, or other institutions. [3] On the other end of the price spectrum are Joy For All's Companion Pets. These only cost about $120, which makes it more realistic for individual consumers, such as elderly adults who live alone. [10]
Currently, there is very little insurance coverage available for robotic pet owners. Medicare only covers the costs of certain robotic pets (PARO) for use by therapists, not by any individuals. [3] However, Medicaid and some private insurers are exploring the idea of including robotic pets in their healthcare. [3] If this were to happen, it would significantly boost the sales of the pets. [3]
In 2018, Sony relaunched their discontinued AIBO with a friendly puppy appearance; the new model was released with various significant upgrades compared to the ERS-7 model. The price for a 2018 AIBO (ERS-1000) falls around US$3.000; the price has gone up due to a new design with state of the art sensors integrated into the ERS-1000 model.
Since the effectiveness of a robotic pet depends heavily on how much consumers see it as a real animal, multiple studies have been done comparing robotic pets to other things, such as live animals and inanimate objects (toys). The studies often focus on whether the robot / animal / toy is seen to have the following characteristics:
Characteristic | Definition | Example Question |
---|---|---|
Biological [4] [5] / Physical Essence [6] | Whether or not something is alive [4] [5] [6] | Can it eat? |
Mental State [4] [5] [6] | Whether or not something can have feelings [4] [5] [6] | Can it be happy? |
Sociability [4] [5] [6] | Whether or not something is capable of being a companion [4] [5] [6] | Can you be friends with it? |
Moral Standing [5] [6] | Whether or not something is responsible for their actions [5] [6] | Can you justify physically punishing it if it does something wrong? |
One study in 2004 compared how children interacted with Sony's AIBO versus with a stuffed dog. The researchers did this by letting the children play with either the stuffed toy or the AIBO for three minutes, and then asking the children a series of questions to determine how they viewed each one. [5] The study found that, when the children were asked questions about the characteristics of either AIBO or the stuffed animal, they responded in similar ways. [5] This held true when they were asked questions concerning biological essence, mental states, sociability, and moral standing. [5] However, there were differences in how the children behaved with AIBO versus the stuffed animal. For example, in the questionnaire the children responded that both the AIBO and the stuffed dog could hear verbal commands. [5] But when the researchers observed how the children interacted with the AIBO or stuffed dog, they found that more children gave verbal commands to the AIBO. [5]
Another study in 2005 compared children's interactions with the AIBO and with a live dog. The researchers did this by letting the children play freely with either the AIBO or the real dog for five minutes, and then asking the children a series of questions to determine how they viewed each one. [6] The study found that more children preferred to play with the live dog over the AIBO, and more children affirmed that the live dog had a physical essence, a mental state, sociability, and moral standing. [4] [6] However, the researchers found that the AIBO was given some dog-like attributes, even if not treated entirely like the dog. [4] [6] For example, many of the children thought the AIBO could have feelings, such as happiness or sadness. Some also thought that the AIBO could be their friend, and that it wasn't okay to kick the AIBO if it did something bad. [6]
Both these studies concluded that robotic pets such as AIBO often aren't categorized as either alive or inanimate, but rather in a new category in between the other two. [5] [6] For example, children in the first study treated the AIBO differently than they treated the stuffed toy, even though they stated that the two were very similar. [5] In contrast, the children in the second study stated that the live dog was different from the AIBO, but ended up treating the two similarly. [6] These findings show that we consciously identify robotic pets as inanimate objects, but we behave as if they are closer to real pets than they are to toys.
A study in the United States was conducted on animal-assisted therapy (AAT); [15] the study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy pet method. Participants interact with animals as a pet owner plays with their Pet; the experiment's outcomes were reported with many physical and mental improvements for the participants. [16] However, the concern of transmitted diseases from animals posed a reconsideration from institutions when they consider animal-assisted therapy. [17] In addition, A qualified therapy animal requires a well-trained session and a licensed caregiver, which randomly escalate the operating fees to the service. [15] Opposite to animal-assisted therapy, robot-assisted therapy overcomes the draws back of animal-assisted therapy, and there are studies conducted to justify the possibility of robotic Pet in the medical field. [18] [16] In the study, AIBO is the selected subject for the research. AIBO was used to companion Elderly and hospitalised children. The robot-assisted method has already been applied to many cases, namely aged care, workplace, vulnerable social groups. [19] Robot-assisted therapy comes at a lower cost than animal-assisted therapy. The robot does not need to feed or a licensed professional trainer; ultimately, the robotic Pet hygienic standard is higher than live animals. [16] AIBO-assisted therapy has given positive results, such as stimulating social-emotional function for vulnerable social groups and mental health well-being with elders in the aged-care facility. [12]
The conclusion from the above studies, animal-assisted therapy (AAT) or robot-assisted therapy (RAT) has shown positive results from patients. Robot-assisted therapy can replace animal-assisted therapy in the particular unavoidable situation as social activity support for infectious illness patients, restricted movement patients, elderly whose vulnerable to animal transmitted diseases. [14] In contrast, the animal-assisted therapy study's result shows the positive level of participants higher than robot-assisted therapy; [20] this method was still limited by the cultural beliefs about the cleanliness of the animals; notably, the budget for this method is more pricey than the alternative therapy. [15] Ultimately, with the advancement in robotic technology, robot-assisted therapy gradually can replace live animal therapy because of the safeness of the vulnerable target patient. also, the robot-assisted therapy had proved delightful positive results when it was conducted in a large scale study. [20]
[spam?] While robotic pets have proven to be beneficial to many consumers, especially those who are elderly, there remains some controversy about certain ethical issues. [3] One study from 2016 attempted to discuss two main ethical considerations: elderly consumers may not be able to recognize that the robots aren't actual pets, and that the robot pets will come to replace human interaction. [3] [7] Those who participated in the study came to the conclusion that for most consumers, neither issue is major concern. [7] They found that most robotic pet owners understood that the robot pet was animated, even if they formed a pet-like relationship with it. [7] Additionally, the study participants argued that the robotic pets would more likely be used in a way that facilitated more social interactions in a group setting, such as at a dog park. [7] However, these issues continue to cause debate because there is a minority of consumers, including many dementia patients, who may fail to recognize that the robot is animated.
A robotic pet can mimic animal gestures, and the pet robot's design can look close to a natural pet. In this situation, AIBO ERS-1000 inherited an appearance close to a puppy, and the behaviour can be developed based on the owner interactions. [20] The new AIBO was integrated with cloud memory. The data will be sent online to process and keep AIBO updated; with this function, AIBO behaviours can develop from a new puppy to a mature dog. [20] <spam>A financial statistical about own a robot dog to compare with a domestic pet has visualised a financial picture that owns a robotic pet will save the owner from many unexpected issues as veterinary cost when a domestic pet need medical care, food and vaccination, adopt fee, training fee.</spam> [21]
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/cute appearances, intelligence, and relatable personalities, but some pets may be taken in on an altruistic basis and accepted by the owner regardless of these characteristics.
AIBO is a series of robotic dogs designed and manufactured by Sony. Sony announced a prototype Aibo in mid-1998, and the first consumer model was introduced on 11 May 1999. New models were released every year until 2006. Although most models were dogs, other inspirations included lion cubs and space explorers. Only the ERS-7, ERS-110/111 and ERS-1000 versions were explicitly a "robotic dog", but the 210 can also be considered a dog due to its Jack Russell Terrier appearance and face. In 2006, AIBO was added into the Carnegie Mellon University Robot Hall of Fame.
Artificial human companions may be any kind of hardware or software creation designed to give companionship to a person. Various types of Large Language Models (LLMs) are used in the development of AI-based human companions. These can engage in natural, dynamic conversations, provide assistance, offer companionship, and even perform tasks like scheduling or information retrieval. Examples include digital pets, such as the popular Tamagotchi, or robots, such as the Sony AIBO. Virtual companions can be used as a form of entertainment, or they can be medical or functional, to assist the elderly in maintaining an acceptable standard of life.
A social robot is an autonomous robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. Like other robots, a social robot is physically embodied. Some synthetic social agents are designed with a screen to represent the head or 'face' to dynamically communicate with users. In these cases, the status as a social robot depends on the form of the 'body' of the social agent; if the body has and uses some physical motors and sensor abilities, then the system could be considered a robot.
A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.
A comfort object, more formally a transitional object or attachment object, is an item used to provide psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for children. Among toddlers, a comfort object often takes the form of a blanket or a stuffed animal, doll or other toy, and may be referred to by a nickname such as blankie.
i-Cybie (爱赛比) is a robotic pet that resembles a dog. It was manufactured by Silverlit Toys Manufactory Ltd Hong Kong from 2000 to 2006. i-Cybie was developed for commercial distribution by Tiger Electronics. Outrageous International Hong Kong distributed the electronic pet from 2005 to 2006. The i-Cybie robotic dog responds to sound, touch, movement, and voice commands. The toy robot can autonomously recharge its batteries using a special docking station. I-Cybie was the first mass-produced toy that used advanced voice recognition technology.
PARO is a therapeutic robot baby harp seal, intended to be very cute and to have a calming effect on and elicit emotional responses in patients of hospitals and nursing homes, similar to animal-assisted therapy except using robots.
Aging in cats is the process by which cats change over the course of their natural lifespans. The average lifespan of a domestic cat may range from 13 to 20 years. As cats senesce, they undergo predictable changes in health and behavior. Dental disease and loss of olfaction are common as cats age, affecting eating habits. Arthritis and sarcopenia are also common in older cats. How a cat's health is affected by aging may be managed through modifications in a cat's diet, accessibility adjustments, and cognitive stimulation.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that includes the use of animals in a treatment. The goal of this animal-assisted intervention is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Studies have documented some positive effects of the therapy on subjective self-rating scales and on objective physiological measures such as blood pressure and hormone levels.
A personal robot is one whose human interface and design make it useful for individuals. This is by contrast to industrial robots which are generally configured and operated by robotics specialists. A personal robot is one that enables an individual to automate the repetitive or menial part of home or work life making them more productive.
Cynophobia is the fear of dogs and canines in general. Cynophobia is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype "animal phobias". According to Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or afraid of cats. Although ophidiophobia or arachnophobia are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs and the general ignorance of dog owners to the phobia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) reports that only 12% to 30% of those with a specific phobia will seek treatment.
Value sensitive design (VSD) is a theoretically grounded approach to the design of technology that accounts for human values in a principled and comprehensive manner. VSD originated within the field of information systems design and human-computer interaction to address design issues within the fields by emphasizing the ethical values of direct and indirect stakeholders. It was developed by Batya Friedman and Peter Kahn at the University of Washington starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Later, in 2019, Batya Friedman and David Hendry wrote a book on this topic called "Value Sensitive Design: Shaping Technology with Moral Imagination". Value Sensitive Design takes human values into account in a well-defined matter throughout the whole process. Designs are developed using an investigation consisting of three phases: conceptual, empirical and technological. These investigations are intended to be iterative, allowing the designer to modify the design continuously.
The human–canine bond is rooted in the domestication of the dog, which began occurring through their long-term association with hunter-gatherers more than 30,000–40,000 years ago. The earliest known relationship between dogs and humans is attested by the 1914 discovery of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog, who was buried alongside two humans in modern-day Oberkassel, Germany, approximately 15,000 years ago. For centuries, the phrase "man's best friend" has commonly been used to refer to dogs, as they were the first species and the only large carnivore to have been domesticated. This companionship is most evident in Western countries, such as the United States, where 44% of households were found to be keeping at least one dog as a pet.
Human interaction with cats relates to the hundreds of millions of cats that are kept as pets around the world. The inter-relationship involves companionship, communication and caregiving. Dating back thousands of years, cats were originally domesticated for their ability to control pests and later became valued companions. Cats communicate through vocalizations, body language and behaviors, forming strong bonds with their human owners. Owners provide the food, shelter, and medical care, while play and enrichment activities stimulate their physical and mental well-being. Despite their independent nature, cats enjoy human company and require understanding of their unique behaviours. Positive reinforcement training can shape desired behaviours, fostering a harmonious relationship between humans and their feline companions, built on mutual respect and affection.
A companion robot is a robot created to create real or apparent companionship for human beings. Target markets for companion robots include the elderly and single children. Companions robots are expected to communicate with non-experts in a natural and intuitive way. They offer a variety of functions, such as monitoring the home remotely, communicating with people, or waking people up in the morning. Their aim is to perform a wide array of tasks including educational functions, home security, diary duties, entertainment and message delivery services, etc.
Samuel Abraham Corson was an American professor of psychiatry at Ohio State University who, with his wife Elizabeth, led early research into pet therapy, which contributed to dogs and other pets becoming commonplace in settings such as nursing homes.
The AIBO ERS-7 is an entertainment robot created for the commercial market. Initially released in 2003, it was the first AIBO installment to be explicitly referred to as a dog and saw adoption in both research and popular culture. It was the last robot developed before the dissolution of Sony's robotics division in 2006 and the eventual release of the ERS-1000 in 2018.
A socially assistive robot (SAR) aids users through social engagement and support rather than through physical tasks and interactions.