Why Robotic Pets May Be the Next Big Thing in Dementia Care

A review of studies on robotic pets for people with dementia published in Psychiatry Research drew an association between time spent with the robots to reductions in depression and agitation, reports NBC News . "Pets play an important companion role whatever your age," notes Simon Fraser University's Andrew Sixsmith. "For some people with dementia, a real pet might not be feasible, so this might help." Monica Moreno with the Alzheimer's Association thinks this is a viable concept. "There is certainly anecdotal evidence to suggest that this kind of interaction may help some people living with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease or other dementias," she says. According to Tombot Chief Executive Tom Stevens, robotic companions have tended to either be very expensive or too simplistic. He started his company to address these two factors. He is especially proud of the Tombot's puppyish head movements, facial expressions, and wagging tail that help overcome the "uncanny valley" — i.e., when startlingly realistic robots modeled after actual creatures become creepy.