AIBO matches real dogs in chasing away loneliness, research claims
By Paul Miller 
posted Feb 28th 2008 11:16AM
posted Feb 28th 2008 11:16AM
[Via Tech Digest]
posted Feb 28th 2008 11:16AM
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Just sick.
How sad. Real animals teach responsibility - and require and offer love. So who will love the real animals when the dogbots take over? On a humerus note, if a dotty elderly person goes back home to Sparky, how will he or she react when said dotty Joe tries to insert a set of AAAs up Sparky's !*&@*?
What is 250 lb elderly woman going to learn about responsibility? Isn't that a train that sailed away long ago?
@Zac Re: figures of speech
You're doing it wrong.
Yep, Zac, that ship left the station.
It is a sad day for real animals everywhere. :'(
first toast
epic bread
Dogbots are for kids aren't they?
Yo momma so fat...
If I'm lonely and you put a new toy in front of me (whether it be a robot dog, a new computer, or a video game) I'm going to become preoccupied with it for a couple of hours, a couple of days, maybe even a couple of weeks. It doesn't solve my loneliness. It just keeps me entertained so I don't dwell on the fact that I'm lonely.
yeah exactly, an animal is unpredictable, and that makes it fun. A robot can only be programmed to do so many things right now, and what it can do isn't to sincere -_-
-bet that parakeet's irate.
The only companion that makes you appear more lonely.
LOL I know! Imagine if someone walks in with you saying, "Com'on bolts time for a walk"
Why did Engadget turn off comments on the post titled "Border virtual fence project delayed again until at least 2011" by Ryan????
That Ryan Block is a big censor of this blog. Someone should teach him a few things about freedom of speech.
Wow, you honestly think that disabling comments on a website is a violation of freedom of speech?
If Aibo works that well, imagine if they had Teddy from AI.
I, for one, welcome the advent of our dogbot overlorfs.
Anyone who believes this has never had a dog. There is simply no way a machine could ever have the genuine emotions, affection, needs and loyalty of a dog. At least it could not do so without quantum leaps in artificial intelligence. If you can honestly get the same thing from a piece of plastic then you're probably very very profoundly senile.
You're right. A robot could never provide the sorts of things that a real pet provides:
* another mouth to feed
* something else to wash
* something that you have to take outside even in inclement weather
* unsightly hair all over carpets and furniture
* the pervading smell of urine all over your house
* pet deposits at rental properties
* pet medical bills
* something to kennel if you take a vacation
* something that will eventually die
* something that, when dead, you'll have to pay to bury/cremate/etc.
Whee!
You forgot: Something else made of plastic to give you yet another cancer.
Gimme some shugah!
How did SHE score an AIBO?
She is old... she probably thinks it is a bucket of KFC or some nice watermelon.
asshole
You sir are a bag made for the purpose of douching. The Brand Massengill comes to mind.
Yes, Sir. Nothing like making willfully abrasive comments while cowering behind the anonymity offered by teh intarwebs...
You know your old and ugly when...
Just put me out of my misery when I get there.
Too bad Sony stopped making them. Many other companies ahve tried to reproduce stuff like it but nothing so far is as flexable of a system as AIBO. I guess I'll have to wait till Honda makes something...
someone with a real pet, please tell me:
1. is it kinda disgusting that your dog doesnt wipe itsself after pooping??
2. nevermind, i forgot all the other questions i wanna ask
i remember now!
2. why do houses with pets stink??? its because of number 1 isnt it??
You can put your dog on backyard or tame that poop on the neighbor garden.
Dog butts don't always hold the poop like ours do. They do sometimes and it's pretty gross because you have to hold them down and cut it out of their fur (and they hate that).
Some dogs do wipe themselves though, unfortunately it's on the carpet when they come in.
That's kindof disgusting, yes... But it's not as bad as when they eat your girlfriends hair and have a sort of pearl necklace coming out that only gets 3/4 the way out without manual 'ass'istance. (hate that).
However, all of us used to crap into little bags that were attached to us at the time, if you recall (or not). I'm sure your parents thought that was just delightful as well.
But I love my dog. She'll eat intruders or at least give me enough time to get the heater :)
Dogs are good!
Uhm, your dog isn't wiping his ass, he's trying to express his anal gland which is full and causing him irritation. Go see your vet, he/she can take care of it for you and teach you how to do it yourself. Though, it's pretty fraking foul.
"Maybe Sparky just isn't that affable, but the researchers found that AIBO and his living breathing competition were both equally successful in alleviating loneliness"
Really hard to believed on this claim.
A good dog can detect when you are sad or even ill and act according the situation, helping even better that a expensive (and usually useless) psychologist, drugs or alcohol.
Interesting...
best thing about those AIBO's is you can program them, change the audio/voice of the dog...
Turn that AIBO into the 'Gay Robot' talking robot from Adam Sandlers CD :D
'Hey guyths can anyone use a blowjob?' :D
Or even program the dog to move into certain positions, etc
YouTube AIBO, and youll see what some people have done... i haven't seen anything funny, most people have only programmed it for stupid voice crap and waht not, but hey the potential is there :)
Video documentation of the tension between traditional best-friend-to-man and dogkind's competition, the household robot: http://www.overlay.tv/overlay/247
Now off to look up papers on the psychology of companionship and feeling needed.
This research is seriously flawed. Electronics frustrate and annoy people--particularly the elderly.
Anyway, why not create robotic elderly and phase them out, too? Then the robotic elderly can be entertained by the robotic dogs. Perfect future.
"I love you, Robopuppy!"
"Licking complete."
Anybody notice the dead parakeet's cage in the background, long forgotten now that AIBO has jazzed up the place? Maybe little puppy needs some competition from a Wowee Dragonfly.
Ahh nothing says love like snuggling up with your tin canine companion. Seriously I have a very hard time believing this.
Ahh nothing says love like snuggling up with your tin canine companion. Seriously I have a very hard time believing this.