A Michael Broad Blog
The Times calls this a ‘robot cat that will nip your fingers’. I prefer the word “nibble”. They mean different things. Nibbling is gentler and a friendly form of interaction whereas a nip is a minor bite in my book. Sorry but I think The Times got that wrong. Please click on the link …
Realistic, high quality robotic cats and dogs have been around for quite a long time now. It’s interesting that you could claim that robotic cats and dogs are better than the real thing with the right person. I don’t know of any research on the subject so I’m going to think aloud while writing …
This is a heartwarming story about a nursing home in Rhode Island who is using lifelike robotic cats and dogs to help comfort elderly patients. Mary Beth Lescault is co-owner of Grace Barker Health in Warren. To make sure patients who were lonely or affected by dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, Mary made the decision …
Virginia Smith loves her robot cat. It allows her to express her love for cats. You can see this so clearly. It is such a joy to see. Elderly people who have to live in residential care homes are often taken from the joy of their life: their cat companion. Virginia had been a …
This is nice and it works although initially it looks sad and a bit bizarre. Ninety-nine dollar robotic cats manufactured by Hasbro have proved to be effective in calming down residents of a care home even if they know that the cat is a robot. Sometimes they don’t realise which is testament to the …
It is said that artificial pets can produce the same benefits for their human companion as the real deal which indicates that our emotional bond with companion animals is really just an image we project on our pets. Personally, I don’t believe it. Nicky Trevorrow of Cats Protection, a major cat rescue organisation in …
This fast moving advanced robot was modeled on the domestic cat and walks like a domestic cat. I guess the designers were smart enough to realise that the cat is a bloody good model upon which to design a four-legged robot. The robot called “cheetah cub” is robust and uses mechanical components that mimic …
