Well...

I'm hoping that someday my Android will dream of electric sheep...

I just need to program him to dream.

Not until having sex with them is like having sex with the real thing.

Sorry, there's no replacement for the "Cool Motherfucker in a Fur Coat" that's ALWAYS chillin' at the DustBin™.

Like so many questions asked by blogs and news organizations, the actual answer is just boring... it is of course NO. In order to make the question interesting one is forced to elaborate. The answer is NO, but not because robotic pets wont be as good as regular pets. They likely will be, but as long as one guy has a cricket in a box the answer remains no, the will not REPLACE actual pets.

The problem with robot pets is that they aren't a back up source of food in a disaster. So then it's back to cannibalism- and I am going to be pissed when I find out that the bus I'm trapped in is full of androids.

Perhaps in the year 2020, robopets will be viable if they have highly advanced AI and we can program them to do our chores.

Just another entry point for the NSA and other G'men if you ask me.

@DeadWriter: As long as their carbon based, high in protein, who cares. I've often wondered what Cylon tastes like.

All comedy aside, people I hope that people are required to have a robot pet before they get a real one.

Why don't people spay/neuter their pets? Why do so many short term residents believe that they need and are capable of taking care of a pet, only to abandon it when they move? How can people abuse pets, let alone their own spawn?

James Patrick Kelly, Bradbury and other writers have written stories about it. Recently a movie called Robot Stories [www.imdb.com] has a story about a family with a life sized tamagotchi. It is used to determine if one is qualified to be a parent.

very funny... NOT

I don't want a pet with a warranty, a pet with brand names littered about in its innards, and I'd rather be able to give it actual food than just recharging it every now and then.

Don't get me wrong, I'd go for a robot to have around, but it's not replacing actual animals for me.

@DeadWriter: I couldn't agree with you more. Too many people take on the unknowingly daunting task of raising a cute animal. My friends have kids and I honestly think I get the short end of the stick sometimes when it comes to the amount of time and effort you need to put into an animal....but boy do I love my dog. :)

I thought mine WAS a robot.

if they make them "real" enough... i'm on all over it

Yes, yes they will.. but it will only be after the robots take over, and want pets of their own.

No.

I didn't read the other comments, but the only reasons I could see robot pets replacing real pets is for allergy reasons and the fact that you wouldn't have to feed them, therefore making them cheaper.

my 2 cents - blah!

I agree with CasualGeek. They're always going to be more expensive than your average dog and there will always be people out there with the conscience to get a real pet, but both would be fun. I'm impressed with that bear in the movie AI. It was like having winnie the pooh in your house minus the bodily excrement and the addiction to honey. Easy maintenance :D

Let's get our priorities straight. The world is facing the potential of a global famine. We need to develop Bachelor Chow [www.monkeyspit.net] before we design robots to replace our pets, friends, and overlords.

Does sexbots counts as pets?
Or is that another poll: Will sexbots ever replace women?

@DeadWriter:
With robotic pets, it obviates the need to enslave animals as pets and return them to proper food status, as god intended

I voted other.

No, they won't replace the real thing. But if I could ever afford an Abio, I'd use it to chase the real thing (aka my psychotic cat).

Yes, probably will.
Of course some people will never buy robotic pets claiming they are not real, not alive, and such stuff...

But several people will, specially those who don't get pets today because of all the trouble they can give, besides allergy and other stuff.

Maybe one day the difference will be so small people won't even know if they have real or robotic pets.

The advances on AI will probably start from animals and pet levels, 'till they get to human-like levels.

@DeadWriter: I've known people who should have been submitted to such a test before having pets (let alone children). I asked their daughter how many pets she could name that they'd had in the previous 2 years. She named 23.

@Kaiser-Machead: I don't want a pet with a warranty, a pet with brand names littered about in its innards, and I'd rather be able to give it actual food than just recharging it every now and then.

I certainly wouldn't want a pet created by Microsoft. I don't even want to think about what a dog or cat would do when it BSODs. o.O

see: Do androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Real pets are actually prized possessions, while robot pets are a secret shame...

I am all for robotic pets

you don't have to feed it

you don't have to clean up after it

when it gets run over by a car, you don't feel guilty!

but they will never replace my imaginary stuffed animal pets.

i had a dog, i had a cat, and i own an mp3 player

i greatly enjoy having an mp3 player, but i love my now deceased pets about as much as i love my family.

@Bokusatsu_Tenshi: I dunno, I guess I just have this thing against coddling a specifically-built representation of something that already exists in nature. I doubt that any team of experts, engineers and software developers can ever truly capture the varying personalities of a house pet, like a dog or cat. Scripted personalities designed to mimick an animal's behavior will probably end up being transparent.

If we could get AI to the right level then I wouldn't want a robot to replace my pet, I'd simply want a pet robot. Think, your very own WALL.E. Cute but non-fury.

Well just a thought...will battery operated boy friends replace men ? you dont have to buy B.O.B a beer BUT it also wont mow the lawn

Yes, but only if it was able to look, act and feel like a real dog. I also wouldn't mind a teddy bear that's like the one in A.I.

Really though, there's some people who might be lonely and not have friends and if they could create a little robot pet for them or a talking robot that would be great.

I'd be happy with a Robotic pet.. as long as it had AI and could make conversation with me and understand what it was talking about. I'd just get a real pet also to make up for the lack of soft cuddly ness in the robotic pet.

I also hope that the robotic pets would come in different options besides just a cat or dog..

No way will they replace real pets. The may, however, offer additional choices for pets. More likely, though, they will merely be passing fads (think Furby, Tomagachi, etc).

The real pet, however, needs real care and attention, and can give affection, something that no robot can do.

The real pet has a broader range of personalities, also. Granted, this may merely be a technological shortcoming in robotic pets, however, every animal has its own unique pattern of behaviours. A real pet is far more capable of being an actual companion, and that is the point.

Real pets all the way. Robots have no soul or personality, thus you cannot create a bond with the pet. That is unless you have no soul yourself...in that case, go ahead and covet your gadgets like they're actually important.

Personally, I'd have another cat if I wasn't so allergic to them, or a German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever if I didn't live in an apartment.

If they could make a robot pet feel and act just like a real pet, then sure, I might be up for one. I know they won't get to that point in my lifetime, though.

Must...kill...Malaysian...prime minister...

@atomx: Relax don't do it When you want to go to it Relax don't do it When you want to come...

Robotic pets will replace some pets, but not all. Which is probably a good thing, since a robotic pet is far less maintenance, so it's perfect for those too young or too old to properly care for one, but at least get some of the benefits of a pet. Possibly.

I'm sure the likes of the SPCA would agree as well - if you're going to give a pet as a present, a battery-powered one is a far better gift than a live one.

I'm sorry but there's just a certain thing with real animals that a robot will never be able to imitate.

I had a pseudo-fuzzy feeling this thread would have PDK references!