Don’t know about you, but we can’t help but find this story sad:
Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayatte, Ind., are studying the use of robotic animals to enrich the lives of older people.
It’s already known that contact with pets makes older people feel better, especially when human contact is limited.
But sometimes, researchers stress, a flesh-and-blood creature can be too much for an elderly person to care for–and the animal could be put at risk as well.
So the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine has begun a study pairing the Sony AIBO robotic dog with older adults who live alone.
The hope is that the person will find some benefit in the robot’s company and that the robot, in turn, might help monitor the older person.
Can you imagine becoming attached to something made of wire and steel?
Our boss points out that lots of people bond with their cars, but still . . . we think it’s time to pay a visit to the elderly people we know.
