The day is going to come when having a robotic pet that mimics a real pet is not going to be so farfetched. There are a selection of great robotic pets already available on the market and with new animals being introduced daily; these robots can be developed to help with search and rescue operations, observation and detection.
Sony Aibo
Sony Aibo robot dog (Image source: googlisti)
The Sony Aibo has been the most popular robotic pet for many years. This robot is based on a dog which comes with a toy to play with. The dog interacts with people and learns as it grows, just as though you were bringing home a live puppy. Unfortunately the Sony Aibo has been discontinued, but this has only increased the demand for these truly amazing robotic dogs.
Robofish
The Robofish was developed by the University of Washington. These robotic fish are the size of a salmon and can swim underwater while communicating with each other. The aim of these robotic fish is for them to eventually assist with various research such as pin pointing pollution in the ocean.
Paro
Paro is a baby Harp seal who responds to touch and sound. This is considered the most therapeutic robot in the world and Paro will move his tail, open and close his eyes and make seal like noises when you interact with him.
[Read also: Using the Brain to Control a Robotic Arm]
Smart Bird
A robotic bird that can take flight and is designed to look just like a seagull. These birds are very aerodynamic and can take off, fly and land without any assistance. While these are still in the design stages, these smart birds by Festo are already impressive.
[Read also: Festo introduces The ExoHand]
Aqua Penguin
The Aqua Penguin by Festo is designed with a dynamic body shape which enables them to swim in all direction, including backwards. These robotic penguins are supported by 3D sonar systems which enables them to communicate with each other when in the water.
ACM-R5 Robotic Snake
The ACM-R5 robotic snake was designed by Hirose Fukushima Robotics in Japan. The robot snake was developed with search and rescue in mind. This snake can slide and swim in hard to access places where humans could never reach.
Jollbot
While Jollbot really doesn’t look anything like any of the animals on the Earth, it does leap just like a grasshopper. This robot manages difficult terrain with ease and hops over any obstacles in its way.
RoboWorm
A flexible worm which can manoeuvre itself along just like a real worm. These worms are still very much in development stages, but the movement is very lifelike using water filled balloons as the hydrostatic skeleton.
Spider Robot
The spider robot was developed at Osaka University in Japan to assist with search and rescue missions. This spider can perform a range of impressive movements from managing webs to carrying different objects.
Robo Jelly
Robo Jelly was developed by the University of Texas and is made from shape changing smart materials. This jelly fish moves by heat producing chemical reactions which enables it to look just like a real jelly fish.
[Read also: 5 Basic Robotics Concepts to Share With Your Child]
i feel bad that Sony discontinued Aibo that was a pretty robot i was waiting for it to come to local stores , as my nephew was eagerly waiting for it . Yes , agree with you that Robots will provide a lot more help in coming future for observation , Search and rescue operations Also 🙂
I’m impressed with all these robots. However, I personally prefer a real and lively animal as a pet instead of these robots. A robot is still a robot, they’re more of a toy to me. Unless you want to buy a toy, else don’t be disappointed with the discontinued of The Sony Aibo, get your nephew a real dog instead. He’ll love it 🙂
Pretty cool stuff. When I was younger I remember watching the Jetsons cartoon. I thought Rosie was the coolest robot, and one day we would have one like her. Then, I watched the movie iRobot and I thought well maybe I don’t want one after all. I never seen or heard about some of these like the fish. I guess I never thought about it. They do get me thinking about what the government or military might be testing though.
The Sony Aibo is tooo cute, I would like to have it 🙂
Have to buy a used Aibo then, Nik. It has been discontinued.
Nice list. It amazes me to see how far technology has developed and now there is artificial intelligence! Today humans can even create artificial emotions and this list is the top example of it.
Robotic dog is really Cute. but these robots can never replace real animals. Because I like animals who do funny movements instead repeat built in movements :-p
Hi Peter,
Technology these days is definitely pointed towards robotics as more and more of the latest tech can be assembled to form a good robot. Take for example Apple’s siri, the fact that it can understand basic vocal commands and act upon it makes converging multiple technologies seemingly interesting. I just hope they don’t come to a point where they actually build a real ‘skynet.’
Amazing list of animal robots. I personally prefer the Sony Dog. Robotics takes a different touch when it mimics animals.
It would seem that the way evolution has made the animal kingdom move has a lot to teach us about motion. We’re just at the beginning of the age where actuators and automation will be able to mimic animal biology more than we have seen in the past. I look forward to seeing what the future holds.