Robot dogs to become normal in overpopulated world

Robot dogs are likely to be replacing man’s best friend in homes around the world in as little as a decade, an expert has claimed.

Robots play in the 2015 Iran Open RoboCup. Image by AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

Animal welfare researcher Dr Jean-Loup Rault believes “real” pets will soon become a luxury in an overpopulated world. And he expects people to form genuine emotional attachments to their virtual and mechanical animal companions.

“It might sound surreal for us to have robotic or virtual pets, but it could be totally normal for the next generation,” said Dr Rault, from the University of Melbourne in Australia.