Many people share their lives with their pets but keeping a healthy animal entails certain requirements such as an open space and resources. Pet ownership can also pose a problem among those living in urbanized environments that prohibit the keeping of animals.
Technology, however, could potentially change this as experts see a growing presence of robopets and virtual pets in the future. In his paper published in the Frontiers in Veterinary Science on May 7, animal welfare researcher Jean-Loup Rault, from University of Melbourne's Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences argued that pets can be considered a luxury in an overpopulated world and that the future of pets and pet ownership may come in the form of chips and circuits that look like animals.
Rault said that while the idea of robotic pets may sound surreal for now, it may become the norm for the next generation and this may occur sooner because of the planet's exploding population. The researcher said that there is a market for this and that robotic pets could take off within the next 10 to 15 years.
"We are already seeing people form strong emotional bonds with robot dogs in Japan," Rault said. "Pet robotics has come a long way from the Tamagotchi craze of the mid-90s. In Japan, people are becoming so attached to their robot dogs that they hold funerals for them when the circuits die."
The interest of big companies such as Google in robotics appears to support Rault's prediction. The search giant has been on a buying frenzy acquiring robotics companies over the past two years. Google has bought Boston Dynamics and Nest Labs.
The researcher's study was prompted by an interest on how technology may affect the relationship between humans and animals in the future. Rault, however, described the emergence of robotic pets as a double edged sword saying that once disposable pets become popular, this could result in a shift on how people treat animals.
The researcher said that although humans care about live animals, being used to a robotic companion that does not need water, exercise or food could have implications such that it may alter the way humans care for other living things.
"At present, artificial pets can be described as mediocre substitutes for live counterparts," Rault wrote. "Yet, quick technological progress is to be expected, and this phenomenon raises many ethical questions."
Photo: Jeff Warren | Flickr
