Android Animals
What effect will future technology have on our pets?
Like most people, I can’t help but think about the future. However, being a self-confessed nerd, the future I envisage and ponder is one a little further on in timescale than what most normal, level-headed members of the population might. Being a vet as well means that I can’t help but imagine what the future holds for our pets, us as pet owners and members of my own profession. We have already seen incredible leaps forward in terms of medical care advances for our domestic pets, with the fact that many of our feline friends now routinely live into their late teens or beyond – unthinkable even 20 years ago.
It is no secret that many of the technological advancements seen in pet, and indeed animal care, originate in human medicine so keeping an eye on what is happening in medicine is a great place to get a feel for the future of pet healthcare. And the indications are that it is set to be a very interesting one indeed.
Robotic animals – is it even possible?
One idea for the future which I personally find fascinating is the prospect of animatronic, android animals, which not only look, sound, feel and act exactly like our living, breathing pets do now, but seamlessly recreate the pet ownership experience without any of the inevitable downsides of keeping an animal at present. Imagine an adorable puppy or kitten that never ages, never gets sick, never feels the need to chuck up or pee all over your favourite rug, and never puts you through the pain and heartache of having to put them to sleep due to disease or old age. Many I am sure will instantly decry this vision as fanciful and undesirable. After all, who wants a robot pet? The fact that many owners of robotic vacuum cleaners appear to get emotionally attached to their electronic ‘pets’ suggests that if it looked like a dog, acted like a dog and to all intents and purposes was a dog then we wouldn’t actually be able to help but form the kind of deep pet-owner bond that we currently do.
Hang on a minute though….. If all our pets are robotic and never get sick or die then will there be any need for, well, me? Vets? I certainly think there will be fewer of us, and the role of a ‘small animal vet’ will change to be more akin to a highly trained and specialized electrical engineer, with a ‘visit to the vets’ being closer to an annual service, checking that our pets don’t need any hardware repairs or ironing out any software bugs that might cause what appear to be signs of clinical disease, such as odd behaviour. There will still be those who choose to continue owning ‘real’ pets and so they will still need to consult with a veterinarian. The fact that advances in medical technology will make such visits markedly different to what we are used to now is perhaps the subject of an entirely separate article.
Maybe all of this iRobot-style thinking is just the odd musings of a nerdy vet and pet ownership will continue to be what it is now far into the future, but with the current and expected advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence, and the fact that we already have visions of the future in robots like Sony’s AIBO, which can recreate many of the classic behaviours seen in real puppies, it feels almost inevitable that some of us, in our capacity as pet owners, will choose to keep ‘silicon and metal’ in preference to ‘fur and feather.’ This nerd for one will be keeping his stethoscope up and listening closely.
Chris is a vet, a self-confessed technology enthusiast and a nerd. This level of nerdiness has seen Chris develop his own award-winning iPhone apps for UK dog and cat owners, in addition to writing on a range of technology matters relevant to pets and the veterinary profession. He made the move out to Dubai in early 2013, plying his trade as a small animal vet. When he is not writing, thinking nerdy thoughts or treating animals, he can be found training for and competing in triathlons, kite surfing or jumping from planes in the interest of fun.