Plug Me In

Robotic Nanny?

November 6, 2007

Everyone has had a babysitter or nanny at some time or another. They tend to children and usually give them guidance and attention. And many times we even envision a friendly “Mary Poppins” with a smile on her face.

So is a robotic sitter a bit of a stretch? Can they really give the same amount of love and care a human can? After all, they don’t have feelings. Well, scientists have been studying the interactions between children and robots. They report that toddlers actually socialize and form a bond with the androids. In fact, when their “friend” fell over the kids would help it up by pulling on its arms, just like they would to a human.

In this case the robots have been quite beneficial to people. However, many adults are afraid of the androids acting like their movie counterparts. Numerous Hollywood films such as “Artificial Intelligence”, “The Terminator”, and “I Robot” depict robots as dangerous machines out to destroy the human race. This has deterred many people from wanting to use robots because they fear they can become too clever.

So, should robots become man’s best friend or are they best left for the assembly line?

~Anonymous Bob

Entry Filed under: Reflections. .