Could Robot Pets Replace Animals In An Already Overpopulated World?

New findings published in the latest edition of Frontiers in Veterinary Science argue that robot pets, or robopets and virtual pets alike, could be coming in the not so distant future. But would it also be ethical? 

"It might sound surreal for us to have robotic or virtual pets, but it could be totally normal for the next generation," said University of Melbourne animal welfare researcher Dr Jean-Loup Rault, in a news release.

"It's not a question of centuries from now. If 10 billion human beings live on the planet in 2050 as predicted, it's likely to occur sooner than we think. If you'd described Facebook to someone 20 years ago, they'd think you were crazy. But we are already seeing people form strong emotional bonds with robot dogs in Japan.

"Pet robotics has come a long way from the Tamagotchi craze of the mid-90s. In Japan, people are becoming so attached to their robot dogs that they hold funerals for them when the circuits die."

For the study, Dr. Rault noted that the future of robotic pets may lie in chips and circuits that mimic actual flesh and blood fidos. However, it could also prove to be a doubled-edged sword, he warns. As many who are allergic to pets, short on space, scared of the real thing or in a hospital can greatly benefit, the ethics of depending on a robot companion may bring some issues into question.

"Robots can, without a doubt, trigger human emotions," Dr Rault added. "If artificial pets can produce the same benefits we get from live pets, does that mean that our emotional bond with animals is really just an image that we project on to our pets?"

Furthermore, he is particularly interested in how humans would treat robot animals and how this could potentially affect their emotions.