Woof, Woof. Hello, I’m Rags.
Posted on 08/11/2020 9:56:58 AM PDT by BenLurkin
“Pretty,” was the word an Alabama senior used to describe the lifelike robotic companion pet she received from a new pilot project administered by the Alabama Department of Senior Services. It was the first word she had said in a long time, according to department Commissioner Jean Brown.
The Alabama agency, along with several other state agencies managing programs for seniors in New York, Florida and Pennsylvania, have partnered with robotic pet manufacturer Ageless Innovation to combat loneliness and provide comfort and companionship for isolated seniors.
With insight into the growing epidemic of loneliness and need for interactive play amongst older adults, the company developed their line of Joy for All Companion Pets to feel, look and sound like real pets, Ageless Innovation’s CEO Ted Fischer told CNN.
“We have technology inside that product that allows you to respond to touch and sound and light in different ways. And what we found is older adults wanted realism,” Fischer said. “That’s part of the magic of a companion pet.”
Alabama Department of Senior Services has already seen promising results and local agencies are into their second round of ordering robotic pets, according to Brown.
The commissioner said the department plans to assess the program periodically for the next year to get a clearer picture of whether the pilot pet program has been as successful as she hopes it will be.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
The nursing home my wife works at has a cat and employees bring their dogs in on occasion. They are allowing in person visits now. Resident and visitor have to sit outside, across from each other at a table 6 foot across. No human touch but it’s better than nothing.
I’m living in a Philip K. Dick novel.
Is Rags housebroken?
I don’t buy it.
We have a real live cat. It purrs based on how we all interact with each other. When relaxing she sits on my legs and warms them. Some of her antics makes her very entertaining.
Yes, she needs to be fed and her litter box needs cleaning.
The point is, a real live pet can do so much more than some stupid a$$ robot. Even the feeding and cleaning gives one a sense of purpose, a sense of something to be responsible for.
A robot? I guess you care for it by plugging it in.
I would not want my best friend to be a robot. A dog, cat, even a parakeet or nothing at all would be better than a stupid robot.
I’ve read that some seniors use Amazon’s Alexa as a companion. Asking it for weather updates, etc. just to hear another voice. Something like that needs to be developed more.
If I finally get a Daggit, I’ll have fulfilled a childhood wish list item!
I remember watching BG as a kid and I REALLY wanted one.
Teddy Ruxpin came out 35 years ago.
Residents in my MIL assisted living home have dogs and cats...plus one of residents feeds feral cats outside...but place only has 35 apts.
ok with me but real pets would do a whole lot more good
What makes a pet so endearing is the unpredictable nature of the interaction. A living creature chooses to interact with you. A robot would give me no satisfaction whatsoever.
But it was to entertain my real parrot so she'd be less bored while I was at work.
So many options. Even an A cup model. For a small fraction of the costs of having a Karen (around $15 to $25 a week for three years).
This is the natural outcome of feminism, and the market will grow bigly. SciFi becoming reality.
Robotics are a poor substitute for the real thing.
Impressive.
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