After nearly two months, the researchers found that there wasn’t much difference between the attachments residents formed to the mechanical pet and the real one. Both were effective at alleviating loneliness, too. The advantage of the robot, of course, is that it doesn’t have as many needs as an actual dog– it could be an ideal companion for lonely nursing home residents. Still, not everyone is buying the idea, and Aibo probably won’t take over nursing homes anytime soon since Sony axed the little guy a while back. But there’s always Pleo. Get one for Grandma, then throw in a Wii for some resident bowling. She’ll be the star of the place. Via Reuters
