Robot Pets & Companions

Buying advice

Two kinds of purchase under one label

At the October 2026 check, the cheapest priced listing was the WowWee Alive Lion Cub, near $60, and the costliest was the Lovot, near $3,000, and not one was quote-only. Lovot and the Sony Aibo ERS-1000 are best treated as long-term household purchases, so their value rests on how many years the maker keeps supporting them. Ask how repairs are handled in your country, whether the robot goes back to the maker for servicing, and which features would remain if a companion service closed. MetaCat, the Joy for All Companion Pet Dog and the Lion Cub raise fewer questions of that kind and are simpler to swap if one breaks.

Connected pets are security products too

Robot pets that link to Wi-Fi or a phone app are connectable consumer products, and security law now applies to them. In the UK, the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Product Security) regime bars universal default passwords, requires a published way to report security flaws and obliges makers to state a minimum period for security updates. In the EU, Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, the Cyber Resilience Act, sets cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements. Before you buy, find the support period the maker has published, check how recordings and accounts can be deleted, and decide which rooms a pet with a camera may enter.

Judge the response to touch in person

Much of the appeal of a companion robot arrives through the hands. A study in Scientific Reports found that people who touched the PARO seal robot reported a larger drop in experimentally induced pain than people who simply sat near it, and their happiness ratings rose. PARO is not sold on this page, but the finding is a useful prompt: hold a robot before buying if you can, and judge the fur, the sounds and how it reacts to stroking as well as the feature list. For a relative in care, ask the home whether residents may keep a robot pet and how shared ones are cleaned between people.

What to look for

• How it responds: touch sensors, voice, cameras and learned behaviour
• Whether core features need an app, an account or a subscription
• Robustness and easy cleaning if it will be handled every day

Common questions

Can a robot pet replace a real one?

It isn't a like-for-like replacement, but it can offer routine, interaction and a sense of company where a living animal isn't practical, such as in a rented home or for someone who can't care for one.

Are robot pets suitable for older relatives?

Some are designed specifically for older people, with simple controls and familiar animal behaviour. Look for easy charging, no essential app setup and a weight that is comfortable to hold.

Sources and further reading

• Touching the social robot PARO reduces pain perception and salivary oxytocin levels — Scientific Reports (Geva et al.).
  Experiment finding that touching the PARO seal robot eased reported pain more than simply being near it.
• The UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Product Security) regime — Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (GOV.UK).
  UK security rules for connectable consumer products: no default passwords, a flaw-reporting route, stated update periods.
• Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act) — European Union (EUR-Lex).
  EU cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, such as app-connected robots.