Robot pets to help ageing baby boomers stave off loneliness prove a hit at CES in Las Vegas

A pet robot which coos when its owner strokes it and is designed as a loyal companion for lonely elderly people is among the hit products at CES, the world’s biggest technology fair in Las Vegas. Japanese manufacturer Groove X says its robot Lovot, which comes complete with cartoon eyes and fuzzy teddy bear arms, has been built to “nurture people’s capacity to love” by demanding the affection of its owner. Packed with sensors to respond to human touch, when Lovot wants to be cuddled, it waves its arms in the air, and will trail around adoringly behind its owner on wheels. It will even ‘fall asleep’ in their arms if offered a cuddle. The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is where the world’s largest technology companies go to show off their latest hardware. This year, one of the biggest themes at the conference is technology to help ageing baby boomers. Lovot uses a video camera mounted on its head to recognise the face of its owner and to avoid collisions. Groove X hopes that the robots, which cost $6000 (£4700) for a pair, can become companions for Japan’s aging population, but is also planning to release the devices in the US in the future. Another technology business, Intuition Robotics, used CES to announce its ElliQ robot,… Read full this story

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