The number of photos on social media of puppy dog eyes and ‘zoomies’ just goes to show how much we love everything our furry friends do.
So much so that robot dogs could be taught our favourite canine quirks in order to make them more realistic – and loveable.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow and Western Sydney University have identified seven categories of dog behaviours that owners perceive as important for bonding with their pets.
These include ‘Physical Touch’ and ‘Enthusiasm’, with examples like resting their head on their master and giving them ‘kisses’ when they come home.
Neuroscientist Professor Emily Cross said: ‘We know that human and pet connections have great benefits, knowing what qualities lead to these positive outcomes could help with the development of robots that can also portray these qualities.
‘Understanding the reasons why humans find four-legged friends to be so loveable is pivotal in creating pet-like technologies that replicate the real thing, leading to better mental and emotional health outcomes within certain groups.’
While creating a convincing robot pooch may seem simpler than a robot human, it still requires a deep understanding of the dog behaviours that facilitate human-dog bonds (stock image)
Researchers have identified seven categories of dog behaviours that owners perceive as important for bonding with their pets. Pictured: Dogs gazing at their owners, which survey participants perceived as a demonstration of their bond
Participants were asked open-ended questions about which dog behaviours they felt were especially important in establishing and maintaining their bond with their pet. They described a wide range of behaviours that they perceived as indicators of a strong human-dog bond. Pictured: Overview of the dog behaviours identified in the survey, how they are perceived by the owner and the categories they fall into
Robots that exhibit social behaviours have been proposed as a potential solution to loneliness, and as assistants to the elderly.
However, there are challenges in programming all the nuances of humanity to create a convincing humanoid bot.
As an alternative, some researchers are exploring the possibility of developing dog-inspired robots that can form similar bonds with people.
While creating a convincing robot pooch may sound simpler, it still requires a deep understanding of specific dog behaviours that facilitate human-dog bonds.
To gain insight into these bonds and what plays a hand in forming them, Professor Cross and colleagues surveyed 153 dog owners.
Participants were asked open-ended questions about which dog behaviours they felt were especially important in establishing and maintaining their bond with their pet.
They described a wide range of behaviours that they perceived as indicators of a strong human-dog bond.
This included their pet nudging them with a paw, seen as a demonstration of protectiveness, and looking back at them on walks as if to check they are still there.
The researchers analysed the responses and managed to fit the behaviours into seven categories, which were published yesterday in PLOS One.
They are: attunement, communication, consistency and predictability, physical affection, positivity and enthusiasm, proximity and shared activities.
Incorporating these important behaviours into robotic dogs could help them provide the same fulfilment and mental health benefits as a real pet, the researchers claim. Pictured: Dog displaying fetching behaviour and independent play that an owner perceived as a demonstration of their bond
In future research the team will perform experiments in which people interact with robotic dogs programmed to behave like real dogs. Pictured: A dog’s expression which was perceived by its owner as ‘smiling’, and an example of their bond
Incorporating these behaviours into robotic dogs could help them provide the same fulfilment and mental health benefits as a real pet, the researchers claim.
In future research, they will test this theory by conducting experiments in which people interact with robotic dogs programmed to behave like real dogs.
They also want to explore how preferences of dog behaviours vary across owners of different demographics and with different backgrounds.
The authors wrote: ‘Using a qualitative approach enabled us to gain a deep and nuanced understanding of the things people find so endearing about our canine companions.
‘While it won’t be easy to model most of these behaviours on robots, this work offers new and exciting insights for those working to develop pet-like technologies.’