Millions of people have suffered with loneliness this year as they've been forced to stay home and avoid non-essential activities. This has especially hit the senior community hardest, with this vulnerable group having to go without seeing their loved ones and friends etc for months at at a time.

For those individuals who aren't familiar with certain technology, such as getting onto Zoom etc, they don't have those alternative outlets to stay connected while locked at home, and the situation can easily fuel a lot of anxiety and depression with folks.

One thing that is bringing seniors a little bit of comfort who are struggling with that loneliness, is the trend of robotic pets that offers seniors and others a solution when they're looking for a bit of comfort.

For some retirement communities and other property spaces that do not allow pet ownership, this can be a great second alternative for seniors who are looking for some help to ease their pain.

The automated pets are helping seniors to get more engaged.

Families have opted for door cameras and virtual assistant tools that can keep their senior family members connected, and now there is the growing variety of robotic pets that might help too in some small way.

Why get a robotic dog?

There are costs, health problems (allergies etc), and responsibility, associated with having live pets, and so there are different benefits for those individuals that might be open to embracing a robotic dog instead.

But as more children are embracing these toys too, there are concerns about the materials that they are made with. Those made from eco-friendly materials are likely to be more popular because of those safety concerns, against their competitors in the market.

It is just one option for seniors and other individuals out there who might be looking for a tool that can help them to better cope with what's going on around them. The robotic dogs are able to bark and do regular tricks that your own pet dog might do, there are also robotic cat options on the market as well. One of the first generation options for those robopets, Poo-Chi, was created decades ago and it went on to sell millions of units.

“This is really a pandemic of loneliness and isolation for our nation’s seniors,... The pandemic has really limited our ability to touch one another, so we now are limited in how much we touch one another, and that physical contact is so important. This is a tactile experience in which you can pet the animal... It’s a great and innovative effort to combat that loneliness and to really promote that connection" - Fretwell, administrator at Westminster-Canterbury retirement community.

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