Robotic Tribble

deʃhipu wrote 12/03/2016 at 09:27 • 1 point

I was wondering how good of a job could be done building a robotic pet that literally just sits there and lets you pet it. Of course, it would need to react to your petting, so it would need touch sensors all over it and a speaker and vibromotors for purring, and maybe even some servos for stretching and pushing against your hand, etc. Maybe even some heating elements to make it warm. The software would need to detect rhythm and react to it, and also to "prefer" some ways of stroking over other, "rewarding" the user with a stronger reaction.

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Martin Pålsson wrote 12/06/2016 at 20:38

I heard about a robotic cat last year. It's currently in use as some kind of therapy in nursery homes. Yet I haven't seen a video of it. Source:

http://www.nyteknik.se/digitalisering/robotkatt-som-hjalpmedel-i-terapi-6395600

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ActualDragon wrote 12/06/2016 at 16:01

just look at the thousands of marketed options. I saw one the other day that took a crap, and it's like, isn't that kinda the point of having a robotic one?

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Greg Kennedy wrote 12/06/2016 at 15:55

Ah yes, replace your cat with a soft, shaped, vibrating heating blanket with finicky controls.

I like the idea of making a completely new "animal" instead of trying to model it after something that already exists. Like maybe a six-legged furry blob.

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deʃhipu wrote 12/06/2016 at 16:09

The idea is to have no controls at all, and the goal is not to make it work as a heating blanket, but to make it give the same kind of psychological pleasure we get from petting pets -- you know, to make it "behave" as if it feels pleasure, triggering the empathy circuits in our brains.

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ActualDragon wrote 12/06/2016 at 18:03

cats are dumb anyways, so no harm there

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Sophi Kravitz wrote 12/03/2016 at 12:41

Mine just has a prox sensor and starts purring when you get close to it.

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deʃhipu wrote 12/03/2016 at 18:07

Nice, but I was thinking about something more cuddly. You know, something that you would actually want to keep on your knees and pet. No offense, but this reminds me of a sea slug...

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Adam Guilmet wrote 12/03/2016 at 12:16

So like a less annoying Furby? I love the heating idea. LOL I can just imagine when it stops responding, and you go over to check it and... it's cold. You killed it, you monster.

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deʃhipu wrote 12/03/2016 at 12:32

I guess it would hibernate when not touched by a longer period, conserving energy...

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Robotic Tribble

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