# Senior AI pet / assistance idea, poll



## HipGnosis (Nov 10, 2017)

My nephew got his daughter a FurReal Roarin’ Playful Tiger.
It's a toy that responds to voice and motion.  His daughter luvs it and I can see why.

It got me to thinking....

Long ago I was a big fan of a show that showed the often unimaginable evolution of inventions; 'Connections' by James Burke.
The show always started with a riddle; What does this pile of discarded laundry have to do with this rocket?   And then he would show the steps that multiple inventions built upon each other to get to the rocket (or whatever).
He explained how the vast majority of 'inventions' are the combination of existing things or processes.   Fascinating.   I think I have many episodes on VHS, somewhere.

Now; I'm wondering what could be done with existing tech to make an intelligent 'pet' and assistant for seniors that live alone (yes, like me).
The tech I've thought of that might be applied;
motion sensing - used in security and night lights
microphone and camera - everywhere
pattern learning - smart thermostats
mobility w/ self-charging - 'robot' vacuums
voice recognition virtual assistant - Amazon Echo. Google Smart Speaker (I hate that name as speaker is just a very small part of what it does)
Internet connection and apps - used everywhere, for everything
Home automation  - lights, security

I'm picturing some sort of electric pet, something like the FurReal Tiger, but could be most any form.
It would follow or come when called (voice or app).  Interact in playful ways. 
Call you by name like Siri / Alexa.
Accept and follow commands like Siri; remind me to buy milk, lock the doors, turn off lights...
Do programmed actions when it detects variations from your normal patterns.  Alert lights / sounds if you stay up to late.   Take video and contact people if you don't move or respond for a set amount of time.

What form would you prefer?
What functions would you like it to be able to do?


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## jujube (Nov 10, 2017)

I'm hard put just to keep the dust bunnies under the bed fed and alive.  Not sure I could handle something mechanical that would nag me.


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## HipGnosis (Nov 21, 2017)

I happened upon this article that says someone is already doing it;
https://www.cnet.com/news/robot-companions-are-just-what-the-doctor-ordered/


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## RadishRose (Nov 21, 2017)

All that is well and good if I could learn it.

I'd ask for one tweak- the ability of a robot to feed my *real* care dog, or pet cat; let the dog out on a tether to "go' in addition to a helpful neighbor and/or myself each day. There's nothing like the affection of an animal to lower blood pressure, make us smile, snuggle with, etc.

Heck, I've seen care dogs open refrigerators with a rope tied to the door and get their human a beer!


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## fuzzybuddy (Nov 29, 2017)

That's not a bad idea. My cat, Fuzzybuddy, died in May. I'm 71. When you're 30, you can lie that you're really 23. When you're 71, your body tells the truth. Another pet is not in the cards. But since Fuzzy is gone, I've started to talk to myself. I lived alone for years, and I never talked to myself. Having an animal in the house is beneficial for me,  but definitely not for the animal.  A tiny example is my TV is very* LOUD* .  So an artificial animal would be just right.


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