Kids, Pets and Robots

How children relate to a robot dog

Children take robot pets seriously. The British Psychological Society's Research Digest reported a study by Gail Melson and colleagues of 72 children aged 7 to 15 who met both a real dog and an early Sony Aibo. Over 80 per cent spoke to and gave commands to the robot as often as to the real dog, nearly half stroked it gently at least once, and children were no more likely to say hitting the robot was acceptable than hitting the dog. Expect your child to form some kind of relationship with the robot, and treat rough handling as behaviour to talk about rather than a harmless test of a machine.

House rules for younger children

Young children learn how to treat animals partly by watching how adults treat the robot. Show them where to stroke it, how to pick it up if the maker allows that, and when to leave it alone while it charges. Keep the charging base and its cable out of reach of toddlers, and teach older siblings not to carry the robot up or down stairs. Agree a short list of rules, such as no throwing, no pulling legs or tails and no pretend feeding with real food, and repeat them whenever friends visit. Supervise play until you have seen how each child handles the robot when excited or tired.

Introducing a robot to the family dog

Dogs do respond to robots as social partners. In Animal Cognition, Lakatos and colleagues found that dogs spent more time near a robot and gazed at its head more when it behaved socially, and that they followed the pointing gestures of a socially behaving robot more easily than those of an asocial one. Your dog may therefore treat a robot pet as a companion, a rival or something to chase. Introduce them with the robot switched off, let the dog sniff it calmly, then switch it on at a distance with the dog on a lead. Watch for stiff posture, fixed staring or lunging, and keep early sessions short.

Cats, small pets and chewing risks

A cat may stalk or swat a moving robot, while rabbits, guinea pigs and caged birds can be frightened by its sounds and sudden movement. Keep robot play away from cages and hutches, and give smaller animals a quiet room to retreat to. Puppies and young dogs chew, so check that no fur, ears, tails or loose covers can be pulled off and swallowed, and store charging leads out of reach. If a pet damages a battery compartment or bites through a cable, take the robot out of use until it has been checked, and contact a vet promptly if you think any part has been swallowed.

Sources and further reading

• What do children make of robot dogs? — British Psychological Society Research Digest.
  Summary of a study comparing how 72 children treated a robot dog and a living dog.
• Sensing sociality in dogs: what may make an interactive robot social? — Animal Cognition (Lakatos et al.), via the Hungarian Academy of Sciences repository.
  Experiment on whether dogs interact with a robot and follow its gestures when it behaves socially.

Common questions

What age is right for a child to have a robot pet?

Follow the maker's age guidance first, since it reflects small parts, weight and charging. Beyond that, think about whether your child can follow simple handling rules and accept that the robot needs rest, charging and the odd repair, much as a living animal needs care.

Will a robot dog upset my real dog?

Dogs differ: some ignore a robot, while others become wary or overexcited. Short supervised meetings, a calm space the dog can retreat to and rewards for relaxed behaviour help most dogs settle. If your dog keeps growling, chasing or hiding, keep the robot out of its space.