“My Pink Ball!” screams the Aibo 210 running around Ita’s (Grandma’s) livingroom.
“More wine Ita?”
“My Pink Ball!”
“Sure honey.”
“My Pink Ball!”
“How’s Aunt Fina?”
“My Pink Ball!”
“Oh Fine, the kids are doing well.”
“My Pink Ball!”
“Mr. Robotics, come sit down.”
“My Pink Ball!”
“Lemme put this thing on the charger first-”
“My Pink Ball!”
“Thanks for fixing him Miijito!”
“I’m Sick Of That Pink Ball!”
“You’re welcome Ita.”
Ita and her little Aibo ERS-210
It all started with a phone call.
::ring ring::
“Hello?”
“Oye, [Mr. Robotics], necesita tu ayuda, muchachito, my little cat is doing something very strange, he won’t get off the charger and play with me, can you come over and take a look at it for me?”
“Sure Ita, when did it break?”
“Four days ago. . .but I didn’t want to bother you. . .”
“Ita it’s no bother, call anytime.”
“It’s just that I know you’re busy mihijo and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
“It’s really no problem at all Ita, when can I come over?”
“If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble. . .”
“No Ita, how about we come over tomorrow?”
“Oh well if you’re sure it’s no bother. . . ”
We have discovered that far from gathering dust in the corner, Ita has been playing with her Aibo ERS 210 for hours every day. She talks to it, reacts to it, and is learning how it works and customises itself to her presence.
She also brags about it to her friends: “My grandchildren got me a little cat!”
“But Ema, I thought you said no more cats!”
“Oh well, this one is better! This one’s a ROBOT!” Then she basks in the wonderment and curiosity of her friends, who think that she’s pretty much the coolest thing ever.
Ita is a huge cat lover, but after her latest cat died she was faced with a predicament - stay home alone all day with no one to talk to, or have some sort of little animal that would keep her company, but in turn would require feeding, caring for, and eventually would break her heart again by dying. Not much of a choice, really, so we found a middle ground for her in the ERS-210.
Suicidebots being ahead of its time and all, this also ties perfectly into the recent exploration of robots as caregivers and mental health help for elderly people and people with long term illnesses and disabilities.
There is a burgeoning field in this, at least in Japan, where Paro the Roboseal unleashed teh Ky00t on unsuspecting panel judges and won the service prize in the annual Japanese Robot Awards.
Paro The Roboseal from AIST.
Paro has sensitive whiskers and back sensors that react to touch, she rolls her eyes and flaps her flippers, has show eveidence of relieveing stress and increasing interactivity with ill children and older people alike. In her latest incarnation, she is also stain-resistant, antibacterial, and electromagnetically shielded.
She is also, most importantly, furry.
Paro and Aibo both fill a very important need for people who would otherwise be cut off from meaningful interaction with other entities. Aibo knows Ita’s face, listens for the sound of her voice, and asks her for help with various things. She does little dances like the Viennese waltz, and looks for her pink ball constantly and constantly asks Ita to play with her.
When Aibo’s memory stick accidentally became dislodged, Ita was distressed, as much as if one of her real cats had become sick. This is the danger of a robot cat, that it will break, but the vet bills are considerably cheaper and Ita does not need to go to Longs for cans of Friskies every week any more. Plus, it’s a sure fire way to get her grandchildren to come and visit more often.
Even if we do have to listen to it natter on about that damn pink ball.
