You can get a robot to keep your lonely grandparents company. Should you?

"He's my baby," she tells me over Zoom, holding up a puppy to the camera. I laugh and say, "Who's a good robot?" Lucky barks again, and the sound is convincing, as if it's coming from a real dog. He's got a tail that wags, eyes that open and close, and a head that turns to face you when you talk. Under his synthetic golden fur, he has sensors that respond to your touch and a heartbeat you can feel. LeRuzic, who lives in a rural area outside Albany, is fully aware that her pet is a robot. But ever since she got him in March, he's made her feel less lonely, she says.