Tired of cleaning litter boxes? Robotic pets are an alternative. I used to love my Furby. And studies have shown that human beings make the same kind of emotional attachments to inanimate objects that they do to living creatures if they perceive the object to be lifelike.
MarsCats
This new robo kitty will have you purring. The creators claim she has 6 characteristics that will adapt and shape her personality depending on the care you provide for her. MarsCat can be an introvert or extrovert. She can be enthusiastic or aloof, energetic or lazy, social or shy.
She is indeed very life like. If you ignore her then try to play with her later, she will ignore you and you will have to coax her back into accepting your affection.
RASPBERRY PI PLATFORM
MarsCat is an open source platform. You can customize your cat to make a completely unique personality.
ETHICS
MarsCats raise the issue of the ethics of technology replacing the natural. Technology gives a human full control. Nature is less controllable, but I would argue that it is in dealing with life’s variability that develops character in human beings. However, MarsCats and their brethren provide a viable option for companionship and entertainment for city living. I feel that a better option would be to provide more rentals that accept pets. But as this requires the pet owners to keep their pets from damaging the rental, and requires owners to be respectful of their neighbors, I suspect MarsCats will be a very popular choice.
THE COMPANY
Elephant Robotics is a technology firm located in Shenzhen, China. They create robots for industrial manufacturing and commercial purposes, as well as education and scientific research. And, of course, for fun. Their mission is to “Enjoy Robots World.”
