Isn’t it amazing how different generations experience things on different levels? Take computers, smartphones, and technology in general. It seems as if young children grasp technology more quickly than the older generations. Could that also be the reason why children can connect emotionally with a robot dog?
Robot dog
MiRo-E is a robotic animal that has been used in a recent study published in The International Journal of Social Robotics, to see if robotic dogs can replace real therapy dogs. The study found that MiRo-E can be just as effective, and may even be a better alternative.
“We know that real dogs can provide calming and enjoyable interactions for children, increasing their feelings of wellbeing, improving motivation and reducing stress. This preliminary study has found that biomimetic robots – robots that mimic animal behaviours – may be a suitable replacement in certain situations, and there are some benefits to using them over real dogs,” says Dr Leanne Proops from the Department of Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, who supervised the study.
Therapy dogs
Dogs are the most commonly used animals for therapy all over the world. In South Africa, besides the South African Guide-Dogs Association, there are also other organisations that use dogs as therapy animals, like Top Dogs and Paws for People. Many children, students and adults have benefited from therapy dogs on various levels. But there are a few concerns about using dogs in a setting with children, such as possible allergies and the possibility of disease transmission. There are also people who don’t like dogs, or who are not that comfortable in the presence of a real therapy dog.
Better alternative
For those people who don’t want to be near dogs for whatever reason, the robotic dog is a great alternative. According to a statement sent out by the university, there are lots of positives to using robotic animals over therapy dogs. They can be incredibly lifelike, mirroring the movements and behaviour of a real animal, such as wagging their tails to show excitement, expressing ‘emotions’ through sounds and colour, turning their ears towards sounds, and even going to sleep.
“Although lots of people in schools and hospitals benefit greatly from receiving visits from a therapy dog, we have to be mindful of the welfare of the dog. Visits can be stressful and incredibly tiring for therapy dogs, meaning that we should be exploring whether using a robotic animal is feasible,” says Olivia Barber, who owns a therapy dog herself, and is first author of the paper.
Study results
The study found that robotic animals can be an ideal replacement for real dogs. To get to these findings, the researchers used real dogs and a biomimetic robot at a secondary school in West Sussex, England. The age group of the children varied between 11 and 12, and 34 children participated in the project.
The children had to complete a list of questions that focused on their beliefs and what they think of robots and real dogs. Then they played with either Tallulah, a three-year-old Jack Russell Terrier cross Poodle, or a 12-year-old Labrador Retriever from Pets as Therapy. This was a free-play session. Then they played with the robot MiRo-E.
The researchers found that the children played as much with the dog as they played with the robot, but they interacted with the robot for a longer period. According to the university’s statement, the children reported that they significantly preferred the session with the living dog, but the overall enjoyment was high, and they actually expressed more positive emotions following interaction with the robot. The more the children attributed mental states and sentience to the dog and robot, the more they enjoyed the sessions.
“This is a small-scale study, but the results show that interactive robotic animals could be used as a good comparison to live dogs in research, and a useful alternative to traditional animal therapy,” says Dr Proops.
Further studies
It would be great to see how children with disabilities and illnesses relate to the robotic dog, and if they will also enjoy the robotic dog. It is possible that the children used in the research were more fascinated by the technology than the actual dogs. Everybody knows real dogs, but not everybody gets the chance to play with a robotic animal.
Being living beings, dogs have certain needs and they get tired, but the robotic animals don’t have those needs, making them ideal replacements for therapy dogs.
If you would like to know more about the study, you can access the white paper here.
