Robotic dog helps elderly overcome loneliness

Overseas studies have shown that having a pet can be good for both the mental and physical health of elderly people. But most nursing homes have strict rules against animals and  many elderly people still living at home can’t assume responsibility for a pet.
 
Researchers at Saint Louis University say a sophisticated, life-like robotic dog could be a good companion for dog-loving seniors who can’t care for a living pet, or live in a nursing home.
 
The researchers compared how residents of three nursing homes interacted with Sparky, a living, medium-sized gentle mutt, and Aibo, a doggie robot manufactured by Sony that looks like a three-dimensional cartoon.
 
“The most surprising thing is they worked almost equally well in terms of alleviating loneliness and causing residents to form attachments,” said Dr William A Banks, professor of geriatric medicine at Saint Louis University.
 
“For those people who can’t have a living pet but who would like to have a pet, robotics could address the issue of companionship,” Dr Banks said.
 
The residents who received visits from real and artificial dogs felt less lonely and more attached to their canine attention-givers than those who got visits from neither. There was no statistical difference between whether the real or robotic dog did a better job easing loneliness and fostering attachments.