科学美国人60秒:In the Future, Robopets Won't Be Far-Fetched

The advent of smartphones, social media and other technologies have altered the way people interact with each other. Just watch a group of people out for a meal together, all on their phones texting people who aren’t there.

Technology may also be poised to change the way we relate to animals—by removing the living, breathing ones from our homes. The main threat to pets is not social media, per se, but rather robots and virtual FarmVille-like animals.

These inanimate objects of our affection are certainly easier to care for than are the real ones. And they still might someday meet their owners’ needs for companionship, love, obedience and dependence. That’s according to University of Melbourne animal behavior researcher Jean-Loup Rault, writing in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. [Jean-Loup Rault, Pets in the digital age: live, robot, or virtual?]

The infiltration of fake pets is already happening to a small degree. In Japan, some owners of Sony’s AIBO robotic dog even hold funerals when these devices are beyond repair.

Our concept of a pet gets shaped at an early age. Previous generations born and bred with dogs and cats might dismiss robopets as mere toys. But children of the digital age, raised on touchscreens and online games, might see things differently. One can imagine a future fake-dog owner breathlessly asking his vet technician: is Fido dead, or is it just his battery?

—Larry Greenemeier