The list of pet robot dogs is getting pretty long, and while most are endearing, a lot of them don’t do a great job of looking like dogs. While we have a soft spot for the bot-looking dogs, too, Hasbro is thinking robot dogs might go over better if they looked more like the cute and cuddly real ones. Last year, they launched their robot bet line, Joy For All, with a pet cat. This year, they’re sliding in before the holiday season with a pet dog that we’re guessing is going to end up under a lot of trees this year.
The Joy For All pet pup looks like a stuffed dog at first, with golden fur and a red bandanna around his neck. He’s all robot inside, but it sounds like Hasbro has done a pretty good job of hiding that. The pup can run around, turn his head, and bark in response to your voice. Pet his back, and you’ll feel a heartbeat, too! That’s about it, but that seems like the genius of this pup — other robot pups tend to have so many features, they become too unlike the real thing. Seems like Hasbro just made a robot pup that does what a real one would do — except for the things requiring clean up.
Hasbro’s Joy For All line was conceived as a way to provide partnership to the elderly that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. It looks like they’ve done a good job — we love cats, too, but this pup seems just a touch more lifelike and cuddly (as I suppose could be said of real dogs versus real cats, if you really wanted to take it there). But, robot pets are also great for younger kids that aren’t quite ready for the responsibility of a real pet, and this one is no different.
