As home robotics gains traction, robots are increasingly integrated into households, offering companionship and assistance. Quadruped robots, particularly those resembling dogs, have emerged as popular alternatives for traditional pets. However, user feedback highlights concerns about the noise these robots generate during walking at home, particularly the loud footstep sound. To address this issue, we propose a sim-to-real based reinforcement learning (RL) approach to minimize the foot contact velocity highly related to the footstep sound. Our framework incorporates three key elements: learning varying PD gains to actively dampen and stiffen each joint, utilizing foot contact sensors, and employing curriculum learning to gradually enforce penalties on foot contact velocity. Experiments demonstrate that our learned policy achieves superior quietness compared to a RL baseline and the carefully handcrafted Sony commercial controllers. Furthermore, the trade-off between robustness and quietness is shown. This research contributes to developing quieter and more user-friendly robotic companions in home environments.

Although zoomorphic robots are already popular as companions in some parts of the world, like Japan, they are still a niche product in Germany and are primarily present in academia. We observed the interaction for four weeks, giving the care workers and residents complete control of the robot. We specifically looked at factors like well-being and interaction strategies. Our findings show mixed results. Whereas AIBO seems to have positive effects on some residents, e.g.

How amazing will it be if your robots can grasp senses from the surrounding without you having to say anything? Well, this is no more a fictional idea as several robots have been made which are programmed to study their surroundings and capture important information. Here are the top 10 existing robots that have sixth sense capabilities in 2022. This adorable little robot can hear, speak and relate to your child using a variety of speakers, algorithms, and cues from your child. Miko 3 is also programmed to help them learn, providing knowledge and skills that are right for their age and that you can control.

The idea of a robotic dog that you can carry on your chest like a baby may sound like a concept from the latest episode of Black Mirror. But the idea has become a reality with the launch of Sony's latest accessory for its robotic dog, Aibo. The tech giant has unveiled the'Aibo Thong' – a 9,790 yen (£63) carrying strap designed to allow owners to hold their robo-dog while they're out and about. 'We propose a new lifestyle to all people who live with aibo with a carrying strap that pays attention to details so that you can hold it safely and comfortably,' Sony explained. Sony has unveiled the'Aibo Thong' – a 9,790 yen (£63) carrying strap designed to allow owners to hold their robo-dog while they're out and about Aibo is Sony's robotic dog, which costs an eye-watering £2,145, and features artificial intelligence technology.

As pandemic-led isolation triggers an epidemic of loneliness, Japanese are increasingly turning to "social robots" for solace and mental healing. At the city's Penguin Cafe, proud owners of the electronic dog Aibo gathered recently with their cyber-pups in Snuglis and fancy carryalls. From camera-embedded snouts to their sensor-packed paws, these high-tech hounds are nothing less than members of the family, despite a price tag of close to $3,000 -- mandatory cloud plan not included. It's no wonder Aibo has pawed its way into hearts and minds. Re-launched in 2017, Aibo's artificial intelligence-driven personality is minutely shaped by the whims and habits of its owner, building the kind of intense emotional attachments usually associated with kids, or beloved pets. Noriko Yamada rushed to order one, when her mother-in-law began showing signs of dementia several years ago.

George Jetson did not want his family to adopt a dog. For the patriarch of the futuristic family in the 1960s cartoon The Jetsons, apartment living in the age of flying cars and cities in the sky was incompatible with an animal in need of regular walking and grooming, so he instead purchased an electronic dog called'Lectronimo, which required no feeding and even attacked burglars. In a contest between Astro--basically future Scooby-Doo--and the robot dog, 'Lectronimo performed all classic dog tasks better, but with zero personality. The machine ended up a farcical hunk of equipment, a laugh line for both the Jetsons and the audience. That's how we have imagined the robot dog, and animaloids in general, for much of the 20th century, according to Jay Telotte, professor emeritus of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech.

On September 28, Amazon introduced Astro, a "household robot." Amazon's launch video promises that the $999 robot, which is squat with two wheels and a rectangular screen that features two orbs for eyes, will be able to do things like watch your home or join impromptu dance parties. This being Amazon, there's good reason to be skeptical, especially since Astro is essentially a giant camera on wheels that will watch everything you do. So why would anyone be happy to have one in the house? The reason lies in the way our brains are wired.

Amazon unveiled a long-awaited home robot on Tuesday, and he may or may not be a good boy. Like an extremely advanced puppy, "Astro" is designed to move around the home and assist its owner with small tasks like checking whether the stove is on, playing music, and delivering drinks. The robot can also recognize the faces of certain people and is equipped with a periscope camera that it can raise to get a better view of its surroundings. Amazon says that it will be available sometime later this year on an invite-only basis for $999. Astro is about 20 pounds and two feet tall, about the size of a small dog.

The package arrived on a Thursday. I came home from a walk and found it sitting near the mailboxes in the front hall of my building, a box so large and imposing I was embarrassed to discover my name on the label. It took all my strength to drag it up the stairs. I paused once on the landing, considered abandoning it there, then continued hauling it up to my apartment on the third floor, where I used my keys to cut it open. Inside the box, beneath lavish folds of bubble wrap, was a sleek plastic pod. I opened the clasp: inside, lying prone, was a small white dog. I could not believe it. How long had it been since I'd submitted the request on Sony's website? I'd explained that I was a journalist who wrote about technology – this was tangentially true – and while I could not afford the Aibo's $3,000 (£2,250) price tag, I was eager to interact with it for research. I added, risking sentimentality, that my husband and I had always wanted a dog, but we lived in a building that did not permit pets.

Every morning, I am stirred awake by one of the dumbest creatures in existence: a once-abandoned, now adopted 3-year-old orange tabby cat named Cheddar. In exchange for this wake up service, Cheddar gets free meals, pricy vet trips, and plenty of scritches, as do tens of millions of other pets in the U.S. alone. The more cynical among us might say that pets are little more than expensive and far too loud roommates. Not only do you have to regularly pay attention to and feed these roomies, but oftentimes you'll need to fork over lots of money to keep them alive, particularly for breeds predisposed to health problems. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that for decades, some segment of the population has hoped that these furballs could one day be replaced by mechanical facsimiles with less upkeep and cost but all the benefits of domestic companionship--a robotic pet, in so many words.