Robot Service Dog?
What is it with all these Robodog creations trying to walk in the pawsteps of our furry best friends?
El-E, (pronounced “Ellie”) can open doors, fetch dropped objects, and perform some other service dog functions--without needing to be feed or take a potty break.
Of course, the 5 feet 7 inch metal arm isn’t much for bed snuggling, or the emotional support humans get from real flesh and blood--and fur. El-E also costs tens of thousands of dollars, a whole lot more than the typical expense of training a service dog.
El-E
I can see and accept some of the benefits of these biomedical robotic applications. Certainly creations like El-E, which is powered by a motorcycle battery and controlled with an Apple Mac Mini computer, can duplicate many of the service dog tasks. That’s the goal of Georgia Tech professor Charlie Kemp’s brainchild.
But if it were all about functionality, we’d dress our cars up in sweaters and teach them to fetch. Sure, if you have a computerized ‘bot that lives forever, you’ll never suffer the heartbreak of losing it. There--I just nailed the difference with a single word:
It.
I don’t know about you, but my Magic-pup is NOT an “it” and neither is Seren.
A robot is an “it” while a living, breathing creature has so much more. I’m all for providing technology to improve quality of life for everyone. But for me, trying to make an artificial thing that duplicates function-only while neglecting the beautiful emotional connection--that just flat leaves me cold.
Give me warm-and-fuzzy anytime!
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