The number of photos on social media of puppy dog eyes and ‘zoomies’ just goes to show how much we love everything our furry friends do.
So much so that robot dogs could be taught our favourite canine quirks in order to make them more realistic – and loveable.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow and Western Sydney University have identified seven categories of dog behaviours that owners perceive as important for bonding with their pets.
These include ‘Physical Touch’ and ‘Enthusiasm’, with examples like resting their head on their master and giving them ‘kisses’ when they come home.
Neuroscientist Professor Emily Cross said: ‘We know that human and pet connections have great benefits, knowing what qualities lead to these positive outcomes could help with the development of robots that can also portray these qualities.
‘Understanding the reasons why humans find four-legged friends to be so loveable is pivotal in creating pet-like technologies that replicate the real thing, leading to better mental and emotional health outcomes within certain groups.’
THEMES OF DOG BEHAVIOURS THAT FACILITATE THE HUMAN-PET BOND
Robots that exhibit social behaviours have been proposed as a potential solution to loneliness, and as assistants to the elderly.
However, there are challenges in programming all the nuances of humanity to create a convincing humanoid bot.
As an alternative, some researchers are exploring the possibility of developing dog-inspired robots that can form similar bonds with people.
