Robodogs: cool or creepy?

Pet parents in Japan no longer have to take their dogs for walks, clean their poop, or worry about their health, ’cos Aibos, or robodogs, have taken over. With features like face recognition, the ability to ‘respond’ to commands and even look at you with large LED-lit puppy eyes, these pooch robots are winning over their humans, whose lives now revolve around their aibos.They socialise with other aibo parents, organise robodog play dates and pet each others’ aibos at parks. The best part? Robodogs don’t die. But, would you trade your furry friend for a robodog? Is the trend cute? Or concerning?
NOT A PATCH ON MY POOCH: PET PARENTS
Robodogs can’t ever give us that fuzzy feeling in our hearts: When Japanese have robots to have sex with, robo pets don’t come as a surprise. But personally, I don’t like the idea. I am sure they can make robodogs do everything a real dog does, but will they get worried when you are sad? Robodogs can never replace the fuzzy feeling that our furry friends leave in our hearts when we cuddle them. What the world needs is more empathy and love for another life; not robots to play with. – Ankita Biswas, technical writer, Delhi
Realdogs have personalities, robodogs are merely machines: I don’t think robodogs can ever be a replacement for real dogs. For starters, I won’t get to feel my dog’s heartbeat when I hug him and hold him close to me. Some might think of this as ‘advanced’, but honestly, how close to reality is it? The love a dog has for its parent is something else... robots can’t love you. Real dogs have personalities, robodogs are just machines. – Snigdha Bawa, writer, Hyderabad
THIS IS THE FUTURE: TECH JUNKIES
In 20 years, robodogs will be as common as mobile phones: Robodogs are the future. If utilised properly, this technology can be revolutionary. Could we have imagined how widespread mobile phones will become? Personal robots too could become just as common in the future. We already have robots to do household chores; we can also build robots in any shape using lego building blocks! With advancements in robotics, robots will just get more and more efficient. Imagine what all we can achieve then! – Pranav Vempati, CEO, Maker’s Hive Innovations , Hyderabad
Thanks to AI, robodogs can be a boon for those with special needs: The advantage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the reliability of its features. AI can be programmed to respond to particular commands specific to the user. So, if someone with special needs, like a visually impaired person or an elderly person who lives alone gets a robodog, it could be programmed to take care of that person’s specific needs. These practical reasons make robodogs more useful than real puppies. – V S Nihal, Creative Thinker at Open Academic Research, Kochi