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Those of us with therapy dogs would say “No way a robot could replace the benefits my therapy dog brings to people we serve.”
But this research study published on the web portal, Big Think, suggests the answer may be – Yes in some situations. Researchers at the University of Portsmouth in England observed children interacting with live dogs and robotic dogs. The children ages 11 and 12 interacted with the robot more.
The researchers suggested robotic dogs might be useful in situations where live animals are not appropriate – for example, with allergy sufferers and in places were live animals are not permitted. The researchers also speculated that the robotic dogs might have service roles too – suggesting it would be easier to bring one’s robotic emotional support creature onboard an airplane.
https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/emotional-support-robots?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1