Robot dogs in nursing homes? Sony a matter of time
Researchers at St. Louis University have concluded that robotic dogs are just as good as real dogs in alleviating loneliness among elderly folks in nursing homes.
The researchers compared how residents of nursing homes interacted with Sparky, a living, medium-sized mutt, and Aibo, a robot dog manufactured by Sony.
Thirty-eight residents were divided into three groups -- one saw Sparky once a week for 30 minutes, another group had similar visits with Aibo, and a control group saw neither.
"The most surprising thing is they worked almost equally well in terms of alleviating loneliness and causing residents to form attachments," says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatric medicine at St. Louis University. "For those people who can't have a living pet but who would like to have a pet, robotics could address the issue of companionship."
Sorry. But I’m not buying it – either a robot dog, or the research. Either the researchers weren’t real perceptive in watching the interactions, or they chose residents who couldn’t tell the difference.
No way can a mechanical dog – tidy and sterile and convenient as it might be – lead to the same joyful bonding, produce the same therapeutic effects, make an institution feel more homelike, and give its owner the same sense of purpose that a real one does.
And furthermore, to suggest that, possibly, among the elderly, they can is insulting to the elderly – a group I don’t plan to join unless I can bring my dog.
I would suspect this research was funded by Sony were it not for the fact that it stopped manufacturing Aibo in 2006. Between 1999 and 2006, the company sold more than 150,000.
In the study, Sparky or Aibo was brought into a resident's room and placed near the resident. Both pets interacted with residents -- wagging their tails and responding to the people they visited.
After seven weeks, all residents were asked how lonely they felt and how attached they were to Sparky, the mutt, or Aibo, the $2,000 artificial dog.
The residents who received visits from real and artificial pooches felt less lonely and more attached to their “canine attention-givers” than those who got visits from neither. The study said there was no statistical difference between whether the real or robotic dog did a better job easing loneliness and fostering attachments.
"There is a lot of loneliness in nursing homes and animal-assisted therapy -- whether from a dog or a robot -- is one answer for addressing that," Banks said. The research was published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Banks saw other advantages as well: "This health companion could follow a person in his home, giving reminders on when to take medication or sending out an alert when a person has suddenly gone from a vertical position to a horizontal one," Banks says.
In other words, a robotic dog that will spy on you – kind of the opposite of “loyal.”
Research showing the therapeutic effects dogs and cats can have on people is well-established, but to suggest the same can be accomplished with robots is, in my opinion, something a robot would think.
So before nursing homes start turning to robot dogs the way they have turned to Wii, I have the following suggestions: Bring in real dogs. Don’t ban dogs. Contact a local visiting dog program. Let residents keep real dogs. Help them care for their real dogs when they need help. Have a communal dog or two that belong to everyone, like we did in college. Let employees and visitors bring well-trained and behaved dogs in. Don’t worry so much about poop; it’s really quite easily disposed of.
Tempting, foolproof and convenient as Aibo might seem – and there have been rumors that he could return to the marketplace – loneliness can't be alleviated through remote control.
And even though it has gotten a seal of approval from a scientist, don't be so sure that, when it comes to scientific research, nothing can go wrong … go wrong … go wrong.
Comments
My uncle gave my 90 year old grandfather a perfectpetzzz for christmas (http://www.perfectpetzzz.com/). As creepy as the thing is (I swear, it's just not right), he loves it. I'm not sure about the Aibo, but this one seems to be a winner.
Posted by: danielle | February 26, 2008 11:20 AM
I am not buying this either. I don't see how a cold robot could lower blood pressure, reduce stress (over a long period of time) or combat loneliness in the long run. If residents were asked if they felt less lonely, I am sure they did- someone was paying attention to them in a way that was not previously happening. I think the research points to the fact that any kind of new activity/attention can reduce boredom or feelings of isolation in nursing home situations Like the volleyball Wilson in the movie Castaway, it was helpful for a short time, but not a true substitute for the real thing.
Posted by: KarmaKelly | February 26, 2008 2:20 PM
I think the best conclusion for Dr. Banks might have been, "Let's supply nursing homes with some interesting, fun gadgets." Who can resist a fascinating mechanical toy? They're entertaining. The idea that toys can take the place of living dogs (and cats) is ridiculous. Almost everything posted here this week has reinforced one idea: Dogs actually make us feel more human, more like ourselves. Whether you are a young soldier facing the nightmare of war or an elder facing the nightmare of loneliness and isolation, a dog provides a sympathetic, living link to what is good, natural, normal, and life-affirming. (Incidentally, human babies can do much the same thing. They're a bit leakier and not as easy to control. But if you've ever brought a "lap baby" to visit an elderly relative, you've probably watched some magic unfold.) Since we are shipping our young people off to war zones and storing our elders in warehouses, the least we can do is allow all of them this simple, beneficial contact.
Posted by: Anne | February 26, 2008 2:25 PM
Even before I reached your editorial section of this article I was saying the same thing. There is NO WAY that a robot can provide the same emotional help that a real dog can.
Posted by: Ty Brown | February 26, 2008 3:06 PM
I figure there was an engaging human being who brought the dogbot to the elderly residents. The residents were probably responding to the human, not the gadget. I don't believe the conclusion of the research either, especially since we don't get any details about how the dog and the toy were presented to the residents.
There was a story in the news recently about Nature Deficiency Syndrome, how human beings don't get out into the natural world enough anymore. One of the many gifts dogs give us is that connection to the natural world, whether we're outside walking the dog or in a facility where the dog brings its unscripted nature to residents. Wagging, fetching, sniffing, bowing, pawing, prancing, woofing--these are all delightful behaviors for someone in an institution to witness. Even more important for residents is the chance for them to pet a gentle dog. Can you imagine someone patting the robot or even wanting to touch the thing?
Posted by: Mary Schmidt | February 26, 2008 7:40 PM
I have owned an AIBO, and I AM buying that research. They are remarkably responsive, amusing, amazing devices. They are extremely interactive, obey commands and if left alone, will amble around and play with their toys. I can see why elderly peope who are unable to care for a living pet would find an AIBO a reasonable alternative. I think this research is very useful, not only for shut-ins, but for those people who simply do not have the time to fully care for a living pet. In my experience, AIBO came as close as any robot has ever come to replacing a real dog. I was sorry to hear that Sony had discontinued producing it. After owning one, I think that robotic pets have a real future, and this research only affirms that IMO.
Posted by: J. L. Meadows | February 27, 2008 1:10 PM