What they can give humans, however, is the illusion of companionship and a less demanding relationship. However, unlike manga robots which can gain free will, real companion robots can’t. Apart from real-life robots like Pepper, the only previous exposure I had to the idea of companion robots was through manga like Chobits and Absolute Boyfriend, both of which end up with the ability to love, if not free will. Both parts are based on interviews with groups of different ages, most (if not all) of them based in America.Īs toys that can read emotions, such as Paro and AIBO, become more popular (although the book doesn’t talk about Pepper) and how these companion robots may affect their future. So when I heard of Alone Together, which looks at the way technology affects our social and inner lives, I was intrigued.Īlone Together is divided into two parts, the first on robots and the second on social interaction on the web. But I have noticed that online activity is not necessarily beneficial to mental health (comparisonitis is powerful, even if you try to avoid it). It is no secret that I like spending time online – you can look at the number of communities I’ve been in and the number of blogs I have.
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