Hasbro – showcased Biscuit, a furry golden retriever toy that looks and feels like a real dog. It even responds to commands. “It’s like having a real golden retriever,” Silver said. “The movement is life-like … It’s really scary that these items are becoming so … real.”
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estimated retail price $300 USD, sorry no picture of the robot, that I could find
Makes me wonder what’s so stinkin’ wrong with just getting your kid a puppy. You can get a pretty fair dog for $300, with some obedience training thrown in.
This whole “technology is cooler than real life” thing is gettin’ outta hand, if you ask me.
In today’s “microwave” society, a robot dog is a better choice for short-attention span families. Especially so, for those that want a puppy under the tree at holiday time but don’t have the considerable the time and money needed for proper care of a puppy. Better to get a robot than end up with a neglected, or abused, or abandoned dog come February after the puppy euphoria has faded.
As many mentioned on the other thread, proper care and vet bills for a dog can be quite expensive. Some figures I have seen are up to $2400 USD a year in the States, and up to 2000 UK pounds a year in England ($4000 USD a year)!
Allergies, other pets, limited space, limited time are other reasons. It is just a toy, and there will be many more like it. As Jim Stone pointed out, the tougher ethical issues come when they start making robot people.
I do not believe that a robot dog will become a viable or satisfying alternative to the real thing in any of our lifetimes. And if/when it does, well…without a doubt humans, too, will be obsolete.
Technology is already pushing people into a more and more “unreal” existence, to the point where they can no longer functionally distinguish between what is alive, and what is manufactured. I saw a program on BBC where they interviewed a bunch of guys who bought full-sized, anatomically correct female dolls. Heavyweights, not the blow-up kind. They actually had “relationships” with them. When your grip on life gets that tenuous, it ain’t long before all forms of reality become indistinguishable from imagination. It already happened in politics.
Yeah, I’ve seen that shirt before. It’s so true. Sure, I’d rather see a robopup than a real dog who is neglected because its owners are dumb. But there are really a lot of people these days, kids especially, to whom real life is an annoying disturbance which detracts from their technology time.
checks watch, grumbles, and turns off computer to go teach little kids about music
You can get a pretty fair dog for $300, with some obedience training thrown in.
Sorry.
It’s so true. Sure, I’d rather see a robopup than a real dog who is neglected because its owners are dumb. But there are really a lot of people these days, kids especially, to whom real life is an annoying disturbance which detracts from their technology time.