Cuddly companions - the future of robotics?
Recently, I was talking to the inventor of a very popular commercial robot about the future of the industry. He bemoaned the fact that there is currently no 'killer app' that has made robots an indispensable part of every household. Sure, there are robot lawnmowers - but if you want to get rid of those weeds, you're going to have to do that yourself. There's a robotic martini table that can carry drinks around your party - but first, you're going to have to mix those cocktails yourself.
He suggested that the future might lie in robot companionship. Above, found at CES, is a good example of what he's talking about. PARO is a therapeutic robot, which reacts to touch, light and temperature, and is designed to improve the psychological condition of the infirm and elderly.
I hear you cynics rolling in the aisles. How is a cuddly seal (especially one sucking a baby's dummy) really going to improve someone's state of mind? Surely our gadget obsession has gone too far - we can't really gain comfort from something that can't understand us, can't really interact with us in a meaningful way.
But, aren't there already people out there who think that *real life* pets are a ridiculous idea? How many times do you hear someone arguing with an animal lover that 'it's only a dog'? or asking how they get so attached? But more households than ever are home to dogs, cats, rabbits and all sorts, whose therapeutic and mood-lifting effects we cannot question.
Therapy with real animals can be tricky - animals can scratch, patients can have allergies... and as for pets, owners will already know that the house training process is a pretty grim one. Perhaps in years to come, we'll be feeding Fido with a charger, rather than a tin of Chappie.