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A study supposedly backs the claim that old people are as comforted by the presence of a robot dog, as they are by a flesh-and-fur, scratching, snuffling real dog. But the story reads like a piece of propaganda preparing baby boomers for their ‘robot companion’ assisted old age :

A study by Saint Louis University found that a lovable pooch named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at relieving the loneliness of nursing home residents and fostering attachments.

The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of The American Medical Directors Association, builds on previous findings by the researchers that frequent dog visits decreased loneliness of nursing home residents.

Andrew Ng, who leads Stanford University’s team in building a home-assistance robot and was not involved in the study, said the strength of the research is very encouraging.

If humans can feel an emotional bond with robots, even fairly simple ones, some day they could “not just be our assistants, but also our companions,” he said.

The old people studied warmed instantly to the real dog. It took a lot longer for them to feel comfortable around the ‘robot dog’.

Over time, they grew more comfortable with AIBO, and petted and talked to him. He responded by wagging his tail, vocalizing and blinking his lights.

“AIBO is charismatic if you start to interact with him,” said the study’s author, Dr. William Banks, a professor of geriatric medicine at Saint Louis University. “He’s an engaging sort of guy.”

‘Guy’? It’s a robot.

The research could mean that a world is possible where robots could substitute for living dogs and help people, William Banks said.

That is a world where robots to substitute for almost, if not all, human contact for lonely old people. They’ll be cheaper than nurses.

Robot companions are already in use for elderly people in Japan. They are extremely popular…with the family members who don’t feel the need to visit so often now they’ve brought old mum and dad an automated companion.

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