Imagine a robot that can remind elderly people to take their medication and to help them find their glasses.
The National Science Foundation awarded Hasbro and Brown University a $1 million grant to design a robotic cat with artificial intelligence, according to WJAR.
It sounds like a cat, it looks like a cat and now Hasbro is ready to take its robotic animal to the next level.
The Pawtucket-based toy company is teaming up with scientists at Brown University to add artificial intelligence to this robocat.
Don't worry dog lovers, robodogs are an option as well.
It's been on the market for two years and is designed to be a companion for seniors.
The goal is to help older adults perform simple tasks.
Researchers at Brown are figuring out which tasks the cat would perform.
It could range from finding lost items to reminding the person to go to a doctor's appointment.
Hasbro says the project would help older adults live in their own homes longer.
"I haven't met too many people who are like, 'I can't wait to move into a senior living community,'" Ted Fischer said, Hasbro VP of Business Development. "Obviously everybody wants to age in place and live in their home for as long as they can. There isn't [sic] a lot of people focusing on the joy, happiness, fun and play side of aging and I think here at Hasbro, that's what we think about every single day."
Right now, the robocats are about $100. A robodog will cost you a bit more at about $120.
However, Hasbro says those prices could change in the future.
