A new life-like robotic dog hopes to provide comfort to the senior population.
Named the Companionship Pet Pup, the realistic looking golden retriever puppy is designed “to bring joy, companionship, and happiness to aging loved ones.”
The robotic pup is the newest addition to Hasbro’s Joy for All line, which launched in November 2015 with a cat robot and now include three feline models.
The life-like “pets” provide a companion for seniors not wanting to care for an animal on a daily basis — a four-legged friend without the mess. The models all have soft coats and bark or purr when a person interacts with the robot, or pets it. They also have heartbeats in their chests to mimic real animals (slightly creepy).
The line was created after the toymaker received positive feedback about others toys targeted towards children that seniors were enjoying. “[A] number of years ago we had a few products — a line called FurReal Friends — that were intended for 4- to 8-year-old girls,” Ted Fischer, vice president of business development at Hasbro, told CNN. “The reviews we were getting were from moms, but they were buying them for an aging loved one and writing about the impact and joy it was bringing to these folks.”
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After market research, the Joy All Lined received traction from both seniors and businesses catering to the aging population, helping it snag the 2016 Caregiver Friendly Award from Today’s Caregiver Magazine.
“Aging loved ones and their caregivers have been thrilled with the Companion Pet Cats, and we are inspired by their positive feedback and personal stories,” Fischer said in a statement. “The Cat delivers a unique way for all generations to connect deeply through interaction and play, but dog lovers continually asked when we planned to add a dog to the line.”
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Dogs and cats have shown to lowered blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride level – all factors that can contribute to a heart attack. But there hasn’t been a lot of research of the benefits of robotic animals. One report in 2008 published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine found that seniors did become attached to robotic dogs and having one helped decrease loneliness.
“We were told by some of the people in nursing homes that they preferred robotic pets because they would not have to worry about them if they had to be admitted to the hospital or that they couldn’t take care of a living pet,” Dr. William Banks, a professor at the University of Washington who co-authored the 2008 study, told CNN.
The Companionship Pet Pup will hit shelves on Oct. 3 and will be exclusively available on QVC.com and JoyForAll.com. The price for the cat is $100 and the dog is $120.
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