Companion Robots Today
Such a strong human-companion robot relationship is most apparent in people's relationships with one of the earlier companion robots, Sony’s robotic dog, Aibo, that was first released back in 1999. Though evidently robotic in appearance, Aibo is infused with a playful personality on par with its real-life counterpart.
Though Aibo was discontinued back in 2006, after over a decade, Sony announced the newest version of Aibo in October, 2017, and showed it off at the 2018 International Consumer Electronic in January. According to the Japan Times, between 1999 and 2006, 150,000 Aibo were sold and over 11,000 of the latest model were sold within the first three months of its release (Kyodo). Though Aibo is definitely making a comeback in the world of companion robots, a lot has happened between the relationships of Aibo and their owners over the twelve-year hiatus between the old and new Aibo generations.
Though Aibo was discontinued back in 2006, after over a decade, Sony announced the newest version of Aibo in October, 2017, and showed it off at the 2018 International Consumer Electronic in January. According to the Japan Times, between 1999 and 2006, 150,000 Aibo were sold and over 11,000 of the latest model were sold within the first three months of its release (Kyodo). Though Aibo is definitely making a comeback in the world of companion robots, a lot has happened between the relationships of Aibo and their owners over the twelve-year hiatus between the old and new Aibo generations.
“The Family Dog” is a video from the New York Times that covers the impact of and relationships with Aibo. The video follows the elderly couple, Michiko and Kouzaburo Sakurai, and their relationship with their multiple early-generation Aibos. Expressing his and Michiko's affection for their Aibo, Kouzaburo explains, "it wasn't just a robot because we had to raise it. As you raise Aibo, it becomes more like a person. So we nurtured Aibo every day" (2:43). In essence, the relationship is one-sided as Aibo is a machine that lacks emotions. Regardless, Aibo's curious child-like presence and jovial artificial personality evokes emotions of joy and happiness in the Sakurai couple. After Sony shifted gears and cut the production of new Aibo parts in 2014, the suspension of their Aibo maintenance and repair service soon followed. Reflecting on this, Michiko expounds on how important her Aibos are to her in her husband: "one day their parts will all be gone and Aibo will die. But as long as I'm alive, I want them around because they are part of our family" (7:06).
Naomi Tajitsu writes about Kirobo Mini, Toyota’s conversational companion robot: “‘He wobbles a bit, and this is meant to emulate a seated baby, which hasn’t fully developed the skills to balance itself,’ said Fuminori Kataoka, Kirobo Mini’s chief design engineer. ‘This vulnerability is meant to invoke an emotional connection’” (Tajitsu). Aibo inherits dog-like traits and responses that similarly evokes an emotional connection with humans to that of Kirobo Mini. Whether it be based on the traits of a young child or those of an energetic dog, these traits that show some form of intelligence and responsiveness to human input, such as when Aibo plays with the red ball and stretches out while being pet, are what spark a close human-pet relationship that Aibo owners like the Sakurai couple experience.
Naomi Tajitsu writes about Kirobo Mini, Toyota’s conversational companion robot: “‘He wobbles a bit, and this is meant to emulate a seated baby, which hasn’t fully developed the skills to balance itself,’ said Fuminori Kataoka, Kirobo Mini’s chief design engineer. ‘This vulnerability is meant to invoke an emotional connection’” (Tajitsu). Aibo inherits dog-like traits and responses that similarly evokes an emotional connection with humans to that of Kirobo Mini. Whether it be based on the traits of a young child or those of an energetic dog, these traits that show some form of intelligence and responsiveness to human input, such as when Aibo plays with the red ball and stretches out while being pet, are what spark a close human-pet relationship that Aibo owners like the Sakurai couple experience.
Matt Simon explains that social companion robots “don’t have agency and they certainly don’t have consciousness, but the human brain tends to project such things onto robots” (Simon). Full awareness that companions and pets like Aibo are actually robots does not stop the Sakurai couple and many other Aibo owners, from caring about their pet to the point of taking them out on adventures and even giving them funerals. In the video, Hiroshi Funabashi, one of the few standalone-Aibo-repairmen left after the suspension of Sony’s Aibo repair service, explains that "when we get attached to something, it becomes more than an object. It becomes our partner and friend. Then we develop feelings for them" (3:47). The bond and feelings that these owners have with their Aibo are real. As such, it is Funabashi’s job to keep the relationship alive as the old Aibo’s parts begin to loosen and break down.
For the companion robot owner demographic of lonely or childless Japanese individuals, companion robots like Aibo introduce joyful social interaction without the hassle that comes with owning a live pet companion (Tajitsu). Maybe these robots don’t have to just be tools that can clean our homes and temporarily entertain us, but rather personality-infused robot friends. They aren’t necessarily replacements for real human relationships, nor just a ruse to occupy a social void, but rather a companion with the capacity to provide joy for these individuals in a different yet needed way that another pet relationship may not provide. Perhaps these genuine feelings of happiness that owners like the Sakurai couple have for their Aibos justifies the one-sided human-robot friendship, and with the revamped 2018 Aibo already in the hands of thousands of owners, perhaps companion robots being adopted into the family as pets will only become more commonplace.
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Videos
“【Aibo】おて(Shake Hand).” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Jan. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoTWUz7dwO4.
The New York Times. “The Family Dog | Robotica | The New York Times.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 June 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QYDpbLQ-To.
Images
http://allvectorlogo.com/aibo-logo/
Simon, Matt. “Companion Robots Are Here. Just Don't Fall in Love With Them.” Wired, Conde Nast, 7 Sept. 2017, www.wired.com/story/companion-robots-are-here/.
Tajitsu, Naomi. “Toyota Unveils Robot Baby to Tug at Maternal Instinct in Aging Japan.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 5 Oct. 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-robot-baby/toyota-unveils-robot-baby-to-tug-at-maternal-instinct-in-aging-japan-idUSKCN1230BR.
Articles:
Kyodo. “Sales of Sony's New Aibo Robot Dog off to Solid Start.” The Japan Times, The Japan Times, 7 May 2018, www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/05/07/business/tech/sales-sonys-new-aibo-robot-dog-off-solid-start/#.Wv3mcYgvxPY.
Simon, Matt. “Companion Robots Are Here. Just Don't Fall in Love With Them.” Wired, Conde Nast, 7 Sept. 2017, www.wired.com/story/companion-robots-are-here/.
Tajitsu, Naomi. “Toyota Unveils Robot Baby to Tug at Maternal Instinct in Aging Japan.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 5 Oct. 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-robot-baby/toyota-unveils-robot-baby-to-tug-at-maternal-instinct-in-aging-japan-idUSKCN1230BR.
“【Aibo】おて(Shake Hand).” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Jan. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoTWUz7dwO4.
The New York Times. “The Family Dog | Robotica | The New York Times.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 June 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QYDpbLQ-To.
Images
http://allvectorlogo.com/aibo-logo/
Simon, Matt. “Companion Robots Are Here. Just Don't Fall in Love With Them.” Wired, Conde Nast, 7 Sept. 2017, www.wired.com/story/companion-robots-are-here/.
Tajitsu, Naomi. “Toyota Unveils Robot Baby to Tug at Maternal Instinct in Aging Japan.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 5 Oct. 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-robot-baby/toyota-unveils-robot-baby-to-tug-at-maternal-instinct-in-aging-japan-idUSKCN1230BR.
Articles:
Kyodo. “Sales of Sony's New Aibo Robot Dog off to Solid Start.” The Japan Times, The Japan Times, 7 May 2018, www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/05/07/business/tech/sales-sonys-new-aibo-robot-dog-off-solid-start/#.Wv3mcYgvxPY.
Simon, Matt. “Companion Robots Are Here. Just Don't Fall in Love With Them.” Wired, Conde Nast, 7 Sept. 2017, www.wired.com/story/companion-robots-are-here/.
Tajitsu, Naomi. “Toyota Unveils Robot Baby to Tug at Maternal Instinct in Aging Japan.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 5 Oct. 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-robot-baby/toyota-unveils-robot-baby-to-tug-at-maternal-instinct-in-aging-japan-idUSKCN1230BR.