| Robot Pets Bring Joy and Health but Demand Cake |
| Tuesday, February 21, 2006 |
 Robotic pets aren't just for fighting iguana Zanta anymore. They also make great companions for old people.
University of Missouri researchers have found that "levels of the stress hormone cortisol dropped among adults who, for several minutes, petted AIBO, Sony's dog-shaped robot that responds when stroked, chases a ball and perks up when it hears a familiar voice."
And AIBO is a hairless idiot!
Paro is the next step in this sort of "Mental Commit Robot for Psychological Enrichment." It's a robotic baby seal that was designed with lonely geezers in mind. "In fact, nurses often find elderly patients covering the robot in blankets and trying to feed it cake or other snacks, despite the fact that Paro can't really eat."
They also don't seem to notice that even if it could eat, it is a baby seal and, as such, may prefer a big chunk of raw cod to cakey leftovers. But that's life. Paro will just have to learn to enjoy cake and be thankful that Asimo isn't clubbing him to death.Labels: robo-pets |
posted by Unknown @ 11:47 PM  |
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| 5 Comments: |
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seriously i need a robotic pet, my lil' monster is allergic to everything. think that would be too tragic? i'll go with fish instead.
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Seriously - check out PLEO.
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that is awesome. i wonder how many puppy faces i would have to make in order to convince my husband that i need it?
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seriously i need a robotic pet, my lil' monster is allergic to everything. think that would be too tragic? i'll go with fish instead.