Robotic Dogs Effective Companions for the Elderly? Doubt it.
Pets have long been known to alleviate loneliness in the elderly. Now a study by researchers at Saint Louis University has discovered that a robotic dog is equally as effective as a real life dog. The study compared how 38 residents of three nursing homes interacted with a medium-sized mutt and Sony’s robot dog, the Aibo. “The most surprising thing is they worked almost equally well in terms of alleviating loneliness and causing residents to form attachments,” said William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatric medicine at Saint Louis University. I don’t buy it.
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by Creepy, Cool, Headless 4-Legged Robot
I’ve seen all kinds of robot prototypes and experiments that mimic animals of one sort or another. But “BigDog” from the geniuses at Boston Dynamics takes the cake. Actually, if BigDog wants my cake, he can have it, while I run for the exits. He’s so cool, he’s kind of creepy. He trots around like a prancing horse going for the Blue Ribbon, but there’s just something about its leg movement that unsettles me. But I love it! He’s kind of like the Energizer Bunny, in that he’s just keeps going and going. He runs on snow, climbs up rocks and even jumps. I hope I don’t have nightmares tonight.
Go Fetch, Fido, while I have that Beer
Like to play catch with your dog? Who doesn’t. But, do you like to play catch, over and over and over. The darn doggies never tire of it. The maker of this video has found a way to let his Dachshund named Jerry play catch, while he goes and watches TV or has a beer. He’s created a robotic ball throwing machine that never tires. Watch the funny video.