[Tyler]

Experts say pets set to be replaced by technology
11 May 2015, 12:00 am

                    Cats and dogs could soon be replaced with robots, one leading expert has claimed. It is believed that the global growth in population will lead to real animals being only for the super-rich.

Daily Mail - Sciencetech (UK)Link

Source: AI in the News

To visit any links mentioned please view the original article, the link is at the top of this post.

[Don Patrick]

First question: Expert in what?
Second question: How does one expert make experts plural?

[Freddy]

It's the Daily Mail - not one of our better tabloids..

[ranch vermin]

Seriously->

you cant replace a real animal,  but you could be another option.   Im not sure how expensive its going to be to get one of these little dead heads that havent got anywhere near the cute factor, but they are interesting in their own right, and actually should be able to talk in machine like fashion, where an animal cant.    (A robot is a different kind of thing, it gets given abilities by a human that an animal cant have.)

But because I havent finished mine yet, I dont know how expensive one will be,  but its hard to say how much computation even giving one resolution is going to be.   And how much computation its going to take to pump out motor keys quick enough to at least make it interact at a decent enough speed.     That the price just gets more and more expensive for very little seeming difference.

[Don Patrick]

There have been good results with the Paro robot seal (it has fur). It costs $8000 and is mostly used to comfort people with Alzheimer. Because of the price though, geriatric institutions tend to share one Paro between several patients. It is that expensive because it has pressure sensors all over to tell when it's being stroked.

[ranch vermin]

i reckon i could do one for $8000 just on computation requirements,  but my theory isnt finished yet.  expensive isnt it.

[Art]

First question: Expert in what?
Second question: How does one expert make experts plural?

From what I gather: University of Melbourne animal welfare researcher Dr Jean-Loup Rault

As for the "Experts", I'd imagine them to be all those who agreed with him (and wish to keep their jobs).