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Robotic puppy designed to comfort older people living with dementia launches in the UK

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A new robotic puppy developed to help older people, particularly those living with dementia, has been launched in the UK.

Ageless Innovation, a US company with ambitions to work with the NHS, makes robotic pets which can be safer and more predictable alternatives to living animals designed to comfort adults who are lonely or who have dementia.

The freckled pup robot is capable of responding to human voices, being touched and hugged with realistic dog-like sounds and has a simulated heartbeat to make it appear more life-like.

The battery-powered puppy resembles a liver and white cocker spaniel thanks to its soft, tufty fur, and is small and light enough to easily rest on a lap.

Freckled puppy robot (Photo: Ageless Innovation)
The puppy robot responds to being touched and hugged
(Photo: Ageless Innovation)

It will go on sale in the UK for £129 from 15 March, having previously been launched in the US last October.

Robots for therapy

The pup joins the company’s existing Joy For All golden retriever puppy and cat robots, which come in choice black, grey or ginger fur finishes.

The robotic therapy animals can help to offset behavioural issues in older adults, particularly among those who perceived them as being real, the company has claimed, citing extensive research projects carried out using the robots.

One study conducted by James Madison University found that care home residents with access to the robots demonstrated a “quantifiable reduction” in agitation scores, while another study conducted in a hospice reported a reduction in the frequency of having to prescribe medication for anxiety, offset by redirecting the patient to spending time with one of the robot dogs.

(Photo: Ageless Innovation) Courtesy: Cameron Burke cameron.burke@kaizo.co.uk
The robots are used in many carehomes across the UK (Photo: Ageless Innovation)

The findings reflect similar results from a 2019 study from the University of Exeter found that robotic animals can help to reduce loneliness and agitation in care home residents, and a 2016 University of Texas report that observed how a robotic seal decreased stress and anxiety among older adults with dementia, resulting in a reduction in the use of psychoactive and pain medication.

Ambitions of working with the NHS

Ageless Innovation is hoping to establish a relationship with the NHS, chief executive Ted Fischer has said, having successfully started working with healthcare insurance providers in the US offering the robots as supplemental benefits.

“We’re working hard to understand what the process is and who we need to work with and what the approval levels are,” he told i.

“If you live in Minnesota and fit into either the categories of experiencing chronic depression, which is loneliness or isolation, or Alzheimer’s and dementia, it’s a fully-covered supplemental benefit, and our goal would be to follow that in the UK.”

All content in this article is for informational purposes only and in no way serves as investment advice. Investing in cryptocurrencies, commodities and stocks is very risky and can lead to capital losses.
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