Just in case you thought the robot dog was too silly, I wanted to share this article from the Washington Post.  "Dementia Patients Find Comfort in Robot' discusses the use of a robot to provide comfort and companionship to dementia patients living in a retirement community.

This is not a whim, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the robot called "Paro" over 12 years.  These same kinds of research are being explored at IUPUI in the schools of Informatics and Computer Science.  Creating animal like or child like responses in a robot seems to have significant impact in treating cases of dementia.  Sights, sounds, tactile sensation, and responsiveness all appear to be important influences.  This make a robot an ideal tool.

It's exciting to hear of real help with senior health care that doesn't involve extensive medication and actually enhances well-being.