Frank Mullin On Robotic Pets

Robots introduction in social healthcare can help people in the care homes to be not lonely and get better care which a human lacks due to certain limitations and restrictions thus giving birth to human errors. Robots can eradicate the human errors and can be proven better in caring people of elder ager by almost all means. The major factor that is faced by elders in care homes is loneliness. Loneliness is a common issue which is faced by people living in care homes. In the article, ‘Animal assisted therapy and loneliness in nursing homes: Use of robotics versus living dogs”, authors Marian R. Banks, Willoughby-William Banks states,” Loneliness, unlike dementia or depression, essentially is a subjective perception. In other words, those who perceive themselves as lonely, regardless of objective assessments or outside opinions, are, in fact, lonely”. These writers have identified the main cause faced by people living in care homes with the solution of decreasing the loneliness by animal-assisted therapy using robotic dogs as pets (Marian R. Banks, 2008). This practice has been applied in Japan and selective Western bloc nations having

Robots are built to serve a purpose and make life easier, so why not use them as helpers? Noel Sharkey, a professor of computer science at the University of Sheffield in England, claims that robots are not suitable to fulfill some of the peoples’ tasks. In his article, “The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics”, Sharkey claims that the use of robots as guardians for children is unhealthy, that robots can not take care of elders because elders need, “human contact”, and that robots should not be used in the military because they could not figure out their enemies. I disagree with Sharkey because I find that the use of robots as guardians for children is in fact a simple task that can be achieved by a programmed machine, I also presume that robots can

While humans and animals are commonly seen to think apart and generate thoughts differently than each other, the truth is that since the beginning, humans and animals have had many ways in which they found each other to be compatible with the opposite, because they had come to a realization that they needed each other physically, emotionally, and mentally. And of course though pets may not be suitable to someone’s capricious persona, studies over time have shown that, spending quality time with a pet boosts happiness and helps your immune system.

In the "Old People" episode of Aziz Ansari's new program, Master of None, a grandparent presents his robotic pet seal to his grandson and provides the white pet with a kiss on the cheek. "I went to the VA and they gave me this - said I needed a companion," said the grandparent. With grownups like the grandfather in Master of None in mind, Hasbro has released a line of "family friendly pets" for the general public ages 5 to 105. The "Joy for All" animals are robot pet cats that look, purr and feel like healthy pet cats - hairball not included.

Most of the world’s robots are about as fascinating as a coffeemaker. After years of making emotionally engaging machines with students at the MIT Media Lab’s Personal Robots Group, they think the time has finally come for a personal robot to inhabit our homes and help us live our lives. The purpose of this project is to help busy family members coordinate with one another and communicate with the outside world many people don’t have time to enjoy family happiness and sit down with their family for some comfort but Cynthia Breazeal’s home robot wants to be your family’s new best friend so you could once again take a break from the busy lifestyle u live in.

It is true that robotic pets never stop loving but neither do real animals.” they can be soft and cuddly, they can respond to a loving stroke or a sharp voice command.” (Love in times of the robot pets, Mullin). But what kind of responsibility would it teach you if all you did with it was play with it and put it away. Not having to clean up its poop or pee or take it out at two in the morning to play with it when it wants to go to bed.

Panasonic is also currently “developing another robot that assists the elderly in ambulating and toileting6” “’Our concept is to provide a total solution for the silver society, not only for Japan but also the world,’ said Yukio Honda, director of Panasonic's robot development center7”. Toyota Motor has designed a ‘partner robot’ capable of “assisting in nursing and medical care at hospitals, looking after patients and seniors at care centres, and supporting domestic duties8”. Emotion wise, health care firm Pip has created ‘Unazaki Kabochan’, a doll with audio, light, motion sensors and able to interact with the owner and provide companionship. Similarly ‘Terero’, a robotic panda that provides exercise instructions and praises to encourage the elderly to remain active has been released by technology firm Vstone. These examples are but a select few in Japan’s growing robotic industry especially targeted towards developing ‘service’ robots that are capable of feeding, dressing, communicating and generally caring for Japan’s senior

Robots have been remarkably helpful from doing things like swimming underwater, picking up trash, entertaining, and feeding animals and people. Robots have to be programmed to do a task or many tasks at once and are made to do tasks that are repetitive or are considered for humans to do. The task was to provide a service a robot could execute for a certain population, then showing as a prototype. As a result, the group’s chosen service was to make our robot or fantastic feeder feed the cats and dogs in the shelters of the SPCA. Therefore, fantastic feeder will help the SPCA by preforming service, improving quality of life, and will help social, economic, and political implications of the function.

They studied 3 groups; the first group with assisted living trained dogs, the second with assisted living robotic dogs and the third with neither. They conclude that interactive robotic dogs can reduce loneliness in the long-term patients just as well as their real counterparts, and the patients become attached to the dog robots. Although loneliness’ antidote is companionship are they living a false sense of companionship? What happens when the bubble of the realization that the droid is only recognizing patterns through a processor and its 8 gigabytes of random access memory, what

This paper will be going through studies observing and documenting research that focuses on the elderly and the therapeutic value of a robotic pets; consequently, robotic pets serve a diverse population, and they enhance the joy and self-esteem associated with having a pet, then residential homes should incorporate robotic pets into their care plans, adding a humanistic perspective. All of the research that I have researched have the same advantages: improved physical and psychological heath. Furthermore, robotic pets improved socializing skills with others and companionship. Individuals are drawn out of their isolation to interact with Paro the seal or AIBO the dog. Paro the seal and AIBO the dog were utilized the most among robotic pets.

Cynthia Breazeal directs MIT’s Personal Robot Group and tells the assistances associated with personal robots. The robots can be used to keep people on diets and make healthier choices, provide a more realistic feel during video chat by allowing people to control the movement of the robot, and even connecting long distant families. Breazeal endorses the use of robots by stating, “... as grandma-bot, she can now play, really play, with my sons, with her grandsons, in the real world with his real toys.” She emphasizes, “I could imagine grandmothers being able to do social-plays with their granddaughters, with their friends, and to be able to share all kinds of other activities around the house, like sharing a bedtime story.” (Breazeal). The robots can connect people to one another and allow relationships to form that, otherwise, would not be

Are robotic pets really a good idea? Robotic pets are said to be helpful and a great idea no doubt, but they cannot do things that real pets can. They are making the world a very high tech place. It is a cool idea, but it can also be a very scary one. They are not the amazing idea that everybody thinks they are.

Today, people have a decision to buy real pets or robotic pets. Robopets cannot do the same things as real pets can. Therefore, most people want to buy a real pet. Also people go toward buying real pets because, that is how most people were taught and they are comfortable with it. People want to go with what they feel most secure and safe with. People chose real pets because, they are make people happy, to save them in animal shelters and form a bond with them, and give children an opportunity to care for a living animal.

Could you imagine a world with robotic cats and dogs? When you wake up in the morning, your puppy will come and jump on you and you pet their warm and fuzzy little head. Imagine a stiff robot walking up to you, standing up, and having their cold, hard, metal head touching your hand. Live dogs and robotic dogs are not similar. Throughout the years, pets have changed from real to robotic, but they don’t have the potential, or personality to replace live animals.

C. Jones, Interviewee, How Robots are Changing the Consumer Space and People's Lives. [Interview]. 03 April 2014.