I find this very surprising, but I've also never been around one of these new doggie-style robots in person. My grandmother is very lonely in a retirement community her health has required her to move to. Maybe I'll give this one my own little personal experiment! Anyone else game to try with a family member? If so contact me and we'll compile our results over time.
Study Finds Dogs, Robots Cheer Elderly ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Dogs may have a hard time wrapping their paws around this one: Robotic competition is nipping at their heels in the man's-best-friend department. A study by Saint Louis University found that a lovable pooch named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at relieving the loneliness of nursing home residents and fostering attachments.
The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of The American Medical Directors Association, builds on previous findings by the researchers that frequent dog visits decreased loneliness of nursing home residents.
Andrew Ng, who leads Stanford University's team in building a home-assistance robot and was not involved in the study, said the strength of the research is very encouraging.
If humans can feel an emotional bond with robots, even fairly simple ones, some day they could "not just be our assistants, but also our companions," he said.
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