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Robot technology keeps on developing, and it now extends to pets and animals. While other types of robots help people make their lives easy, animal or pet robots are mainly for entertainment purposes. Robot pets use artificial intelligence (AI), and they try to copy the behavior of real animals.
However, the difference between a robot and the real animal is evident when these two meet. Naturally, animals that belong to different species do not need to get closer to each other to notice the difference. Even animals that belong to the same species but different breed approach each other with caution.
For instance, there are different breeds of dogs and their first encounter with each other is cautious. The difference is shown when puppies meet robot dogs. There is a big difference between the two. Though wary at first, the puppies quickly realize that a robot is not a real dog.
When the puppies notice that a robot does not pose any danger to them, they become friends and begin playing with it. The other puppy goes to the extent of engaging in mating action with the robot dog but realizes that it is not real. The difference between robots and real animals comes in different ways.
Puppies Meet A Scary Robot
Many wild animals are not friendly to dogs. It’s either the wild animals are aggressive toward dogs, or they are in the defensive mood to fend off any attack. A video clip showing puppies meeting a robot dinosaur shows that real animals can quickly recognize that robots are not real.
The puppies quickly notice that the robot dinosaur does not pose any threat to them. One of the puppies even tries mating actions on the robot which rarely happens in the real world. Dogs and other different animals rarely get closer to each other, worse still to befriend each other.
The puppies knock down the robot dinosaur, and it struggles to get to its feet. When the robot fails to get to its feet, the puppies are satisfied that it is just an image of a real animal. All animals, dogs included using their sense of smell to identify each other.
Source: Rumble Viral
Robot Spy Dog Meets Wild Dogs
When the robot spy meets the wilds dogs, it just produces certain sounds and uses body movements. It seems the wild dogs are quick to realize that it is not a real dog, but at first, they also approach it with caution.
Slowly, the wild dogs approach the robot puppy to smell it to confirm that it is not a dog. Wild dogs and domestic dogs are not friendly to each other. They cannot meet without snarling and growling at each other. These animals are hostile to each other, but it seems the wild dogs notice that the object similar to a dog is not real.
Animals can use their sense of smell to detect each other. The spy robot falls short of creating an impression of a real dog. When the wild dogs knock off the robot, it fails to stand on its feet
Source: John Downer Productions
Sony’s Robot Puppy Aibo Vs. A Real Puppy
Sony the robot puppy can perform various actions that resemble a real dog, but they are different. For instance, it can recognize the faces of people, and it uses artificial intelligence to scan the environment around it. It has sensors and a camera that help it to identify things around it.
It can also shake your hands, attempt to pick a ball or bone in front of it but it cannot entirely behave like a real dog. A real dog is playful, and it can give you true love, things that a robot dog cannot do. In practical terms, robot dogs are meant for entertainment purposes since they cannot match the behavior of living animals.
The encounter between a robot dog and a real puppy shows that they do not belong to the same category. Though robot dogs and real pets alike in their appearance, these two species are different. A robot dog strongly relies on artificial intelligence hence it cannot behave like a real animal. Its movement depends on the program installed.
Source: Washington Post
Puppies, Kittens, and Robots
Both puppies and kittens can play with robots, but they can only do it after making sure that they are simple objects. At first, the pets approach the robots with care to make sure that they are not dangerous. Even animals are also careful like human beings in that they avoid situations that can be harmful to them.
When the pets are satisfied that robots are not harmful, they can play around with them. Pets also need entertainment, and they can get it from robots. Different forms of robots specifically entertain pets. The pets can also experience boredom if they do not have a company and they can find pleasure in playing with robots.
Source: modrobotics
Puppies Play With Robotic Dogs
A robot dog is not aggressive, it just produces certain sounds, and the puppies can recognize that it is not real. The other notable aspect is that the movement of a robot is not agile like a real puppy. The puppy goes on to smell the back of the robot, and it realizes that it is not real. Similarly, a robot dogs fail to stand up when it is knocked down by the puppies.
A closer observation of robot dogs shows that they can hardly be a replacement for real dogs. They are only called robot dogs merely because they have shapes of dogs, but they significantly differ in many ways. A robot can hardly imitate the behavior of a dog though it can perform a few actions.
A robot dog does not have that love of a real dog. The robots can play other roles such as entertaining the owners, but they can never be similar to real dogs in any way. The other issue is that robot dogs do not have feelings; hence they cannot show love to their owners.
