- Study found pet robot penguin helped lower stress levels like owning a dog
Robots really could be man’s best friend, a study has found.
People who lived with a pet-like robot for two months had lower levels of stress, similar to the benefits of having a dog.
‘A robot may have an effect similar to that of animal therapy,’ say the researchers in the journal iScience.
They used a robot resembling a small penguin, which has two feet and the same body temperature as humans.
When its stomach is stroked, it slowly closes its eyes and makes a breathing sound. When its nose is pressed, its body shakes and it laughs.
People who lived with a pet-like robot for two months had lower levels of stress, similar to the benefits of having a dog (file photo of robot dog toy)
It tracks the owner with a camera and moves its hand to ask for a hug. It can also make eye contact and communicates in seal-like sounds.
The researchers from Jichi medical university in Japan found that levels of oxytocin, the ‘cuddle hormone’, were 2.2 times higher in robot owners.
Also, levels of cortisol, a hormone marker of increased stress, were twice as high in non-robot owners.
Just 15 minutes with a robot cut the cortisol level in owners and in non-owners.
The study said using social robots could be an alternative to animal-assisted therapy in treatment for depression and alcoholism because of the risk of infection and allergies.
!['A robot may have an effect similar to that of animal therapy' say the researchers in the journal iScience (stock photo)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/07/01/79701707-12934663-image-a-20_1704590683833.jpg)
‘A robot may have an effect similar to that of animal therapy’ say the researchers in the journal iScience (stock photo)
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