Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold

Attention, animal lovers. Have you ever thought of replacing your furry best friend? Your cute little Chihuahua or maybe your happy go lucky Terrier?

Maybe it’s time for you to think about a new buddy. After all, he might turn out to be your perfect companion with greater abilities.

Artificial Intelligence is making its way through our daily lives. Robot companions are now an option to consider. Through avenues such as Window’s Cortana and GPS, bluetooth and Infrared, these AI devices have outstanding applications and are designed to resemble domestic pets. They are endowed with a plethora of abilities such as detecting emotions, understanding commands, responding to inquiries, avoiding obstacles, knowing their own and their owner’s location, playing fetch, recharging their own batteries, accompanying the elderly, and guarding the houses to name a few. Even though considered to be non living, they can trigger emotions, replicate animals, and fulfill in entirety the human-animal bond. They indubitably have the potential to be great mechanical companions.

Still not convinced? Consider the following - the needy nature of dogs, their high maintenance cost including dog food and dog kennels, the time and patience invested in order to train them, their specific space and social needs, likes and dislikes,the facts that elderly people have limited capability in taking care of pets, that there are allergic people and that there are others who are short on space or time, living in hospitals and/or alone. In this light, a robotic companion seems most convenient.

Reciprocity is the most important factor of any relationship. Will the fact that our pet is a robot matter to us if our emotional exchange with it is just the same as with an actual animal? For example, when looking at a car, car fanatics see faces, eyes, and base their judgement on the color of the car. In this case, one can say that “emotions are in the eye of the beholder”. The human beings link their emotions to the machines, while the machines don’t react to them.

Will you welcome your new-age pet into your home? Or you’d rather keep your old valued dog? ”Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold”.

Click here to meet Chip, the "first lovable robot dog".