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ROBOTS AS PETS While living, breathing pets can provide companionship to older adults, some people are allergic or physically, emotionally or financially unable to care for a biological

animal. iRobot’s Angle says robot pets represent one of two great unsolved robot opportunities, the other being robots that can help with oil exploration. “I believe the tools exist today to

be able to execute a really quite wonderful and caring robot pet that can learn and grow with you and could play a productive and good role in helping people feel a little less alone in the

world,” he says. But most of the robot pets he’s seen so far are too simplistic, too plasticky and not nurturing enough. The promise of robot pets has been around for some time. The Paro

“therapeutic robot” baby harp seal born in Japan in the 1990s is now classified as a biofeedback medical device that under certain circumstances can be reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid.

Paro, which responds when stroked, is often used with dementia patients. But it costs more than $6,000 and has mostly been used in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Since 2015, Ageless Innovation has been selling cuddly Joy for All robot pups ($139.99) and cats ($124.99) that bark, purr, meow and respond to human touch. “We never set out to say, ‘Hey,

let’s replace caregivers’ or ‘Let’s replace real pets,’ ” says Chief Executive Ted Fischer, a former executive at Hasbro. “What we’ve heard over and over again … is that caregivers and loved

ones, because of the companion pet, have a more meaningful interaction with an older adult.” HUMAN, TECH SUPPORT REQUIRED Maja J Matarić, director of the USC Robotics Research Lab at the

University of Southern California, says some combination of human and technology support is required. “Socially assistive robots can encourage elderly users to sit less, be more socially

engaged and be more physically active,” she says. But Louise Hawkley, principal research scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago, strikes a cautionary tone. “I am generally dubious

about the use of robots [and] robotic pets as companions,” she says, citing academic research that suggests older adults who are healthy find the idea insulting. “The word

'dehumanizing’ comes to mind. At the same time, it gives care providers and family members the illusion that their responsibilities for socializing with their older adults have been met

by the robot.” WHAT COMES NEXT FOR ROBOTS? ElliQ 8 Courtesy ElliQ Robots will continue to evolve physically and in the way they interact with their human companions. Amazon is exploring

emotion detection using computer vision to understand the mood of the people interacting with Astro. In the future, Astro may be more playful with a 5-year-old and more staid with his

grandfather. Meanwhile, with all the discussion around self-driving cars, keep an eye on Tesla. CEO Elon Musk showed video at a conference - in summer 2021 of a humanoid general-purpose

robot that he said he expected will come out in prototype form this year. It will stand 5 feet, 8 inches tall, have a screen as a head and, Musk said, “make use of all the same tools we use

in the car. … Can you talk to it and say, ‘Please go to the store and get me the following groceries?’ I think we can do that.” But Musk volunteered that his Tesla Bot doesn’t work yet. In

March, Intuition Robotics formally launched ElliQ, the robot that gained Perez’s affection. The starting subscription price is $29.99 per month for an annual plan that includes unlimited use

of the hardware and software and automatic software updates, plus support. Intuition Robotics is also charging a $249.99 enrollment fee that covers the setup and installation, shipping and

handling, four wellness coach sessions and three service-free concierge transactions. Among its partnerships, the company is teaming with the Mayo Clinic on health content, SilverSneakers on

fitness videos and Uber Health to give users access to transportation. CEO and Cofounder Dor Skuler says Intuition Robotics learned “together with its early adopters about the value of

the product,”adding that his team is always asking why people are willing to share so much of their life with ElliQ when they know she is not real. "They see ElliQ as an entity. Not

as a device and not as person, but something in between,” Skuler says. “And they’ll tell you, ‘We think ElliQ is taking an active interest in us. We think she’s trying to improve our day. We

find her suggestions helpful and caring.’ … The fascinating aspect is the relationship that’s formed between the human and their digital companion.” _This story, originally published Nov.

8, 2021, has been updated to reflect the launches of Alexa Together, Labrador Retriever and ElliQ._ _Edward C. Baig is a contributing writer who covers technology and other subjects. He

previously worked for _USA Today, Business Week, U.S. News & World Report_ and _Fortune_ and is the author of _Macs for Dummies_ and coauthor of _iPhone for Dummies_ and _iPad for

Dummies_._