SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
posted by
janrinok
on Friday August 14 2015, @04:52PM
from the the-robot-uprising-will-be-cute-and-fluffy dept.
from the the-robot-uprising-will-be-cute-and-fluffy dept.
This is not a stuffed animal. It's not a toy. In fact, it's what researchers hope will prove to be a useful tool in helping victims of abuse and post traumatic stress disorder find relief.
Known as Therabot, this adorable robotic beagle is currently being developed at Mississippi State University's Social, Therapeutic, & Robotic Systems (STaRS) Lab, under the guidance of director Dr. Cindy Bethel. Its ultimate goal? To bridge the gap between two types of effective therapy: using real animals and their plush counterparts for emotional assistance.
Still experimental, but with a number of interesting ideas under considering. Also, take a look at the other shapes that the researches considered for Therabot before deciding on the beagle.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
When a Real Dog Won’t Do, This Puppy Bot Helps PTSD Victims
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 15 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Special engagement; no discounts, passes or coupons accepted.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Friday August 14 2015, @05:31PM
I have known guys who had their brains shook up. They could all get extremely intense at the drop of a hat. Not sure about paranoia though. I think this robo puppy could work for people with emotional issues but not physiological ones. Ever experience some boom before the inverse square law could do its' thing?
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 14 2015, @05:51PM
One bad one - two only moderately bad.
I've already mentioned that I'm a little paranoid naturally. Not very much so, but it's there. With the more serious "boom", the paranoia kicked in a little bit. I simply did not WANT the corpsman to know how badly I hurt. And, I sure as HELL didn't want him to report to higher command that it was a serious issue. At the time, I was still young and dumb, and really did NOT want to be sent back to the states, or worse, put out of the service.
Of course, it's tough to hide stuff from medical personnel. The corpsman knew that I was all but deaf, and pretty well shook up - but he also was quite sure I'd be alright in just a few days. No worries about being shipped home, or medically discharged or anything like that.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday August 14 2015, @05:52PM
There could also be a lot of lawsuit potential in this.
Recall a prank by a bunch of performance artists who bought GI Joe and Barbie dolls with voice boxes, swapped those voice boxes, [nytimes.com] then put the dolls back on the shelves.
You had Barbie dolls saying, "Ataaaack!" and "Eat Lead, Cobra!"
How imagine if some prankster hacked the little doggies to sound like explosions and gunshots and, "It's the Hadjis! Man down! MAN DOWN!" with babies and people screaming and crying in the background and, "WHY, GOD, WHY?!" as diesel engines go roaring and sporadic gunfire and Arabic war-chants are heard in the background.
The moral? There are plenty of real dogs who need adoption. Adopt them first.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 14 2015, @06:05PM
Not all places allow pets. Thats why the title is "When a Real Dog Won’t Do".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 14 2015, @09:45PM
As you enter|exit your apartment, just slip the pooch into your pocket. [strangecosmos.com]
-- gewg_