[2] Robotic pets are also marketed towards dementia patients, who are people that suffer from loss of memory and thinking skills.
These people often suffer extreme loneliness due to not remembering their loved ones, but having physical contact and constant reminders of a robotic pet can lessen that feeling.
[3] For example, a study done in Texas and Kansas found that dementia residents who had group sessions with a PARO (brand of robotic pet) for three months showed decreased anxiety and less behavioral problems, when compared to a control group that experienced activities in a traditional nursing home, such as music and physical activity.
In addition, patients unable to contact their loved ones due to infectious diseases can be eased the loneliness feeling when interacting with AIBO.
[13] Furthermore, a Qualitative study associated with National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) has shown the bright future of robot-assisted therapy during special medical care.
[5] The study found that, when the children were asked questions about the characteristics of either AIBO or the stuffed animal, they responded in similar ways.
[5] This held true when they were asked questions concerning biological essence, mental states, sociability, and moral standing.
[6] Both these studies concluded that robotic pets such as AIBO often aren't categorized as either alive or inanimate, but rather in a new category in between the other two.
[5] In contrast, the children in the second study stated that the live dog was different from the AIBO, but ended up treating the two similarly.
[17] In addition, A qualified therapy animal requires a well-trained session and a licensed caregiver, which randomly escalate the operating fees to the service.
The robot-assisted method has already been applied to many cases, namely aged care, workplace, vulnerable social groups.
[16] AIBO-assisted therapy has given positive results, such as stimulating social-emotional function for vulnerable social groups and mental health well-being with elders in the aged-care facility.
While robotic pets have proven to be beneficial to many consumers, especially those who are elderly, there remains some controversy about certain ethical issues.
[7] Additionally, the study participants argued that the robotic pets would more likely be used in a way that facilitated more social interactions in a group setting, such as at a dog park.
[7] However, these issues continue to cause debate because there is a minority of consumers, including many dementia patients, who may fail to recognize that the robot is animated.
In this situation, AIBO ERS-1000 inherited an appearance close to a puppy, and the behaviour can be developed based on the owner interactions.