A few weeks ago I got an invite on Facebook for an application where you can adopt a cute 3D cartoon dog. I went ahead and tried it out. Pet it, it responded to my "touch." Gave it water, it lapped it up and soon wanted more. Threw a ball, it fetched. Soon I was bored of these routines and had had enough of the emotional taxation of having to play with this fake creature because my beloved, all-too-real dog is dead. So I ignored "Buddy's" innocent, pleading, artificial eyes and removed the application.
In the Buddy app, they give you a choice of about 5 dogs. I picked one of the big lab-type dogs because I thought the little terrier style dogs would be too similar to my dog. But, what if there was a choice of one exactly like Pepper? Somehow that would appeal to me. Maybe it would be too painful, I don't know. It would still be a computerized animal, it wouldn't have Pepper's personality. But still, if I could see Pepper run again, even just as a screen saver....if I could scratch behind her ears once more, only with the movement of a plastic mouse....
Maybe it wouldn't be healthy, emotionally. I couldn't imagine having an animated virtual Grandma! That doesn't seem right. Maybe it would be more appropriate for pets while they're alive. But then you'd get people who would pamper their pets on the computer while the real animal is being ignored.
Maybe something like this already exists? I looked online, but didn't find anything. But I'm sure the technology is available. You upload a bunch of pictures of your pet and the program analyzes them and creates a 3D image. How available is that kind of technology? At the least, they could have a create-an-avatar type thing. Let you customize a cartoon image...start with a terrier base, shorten fur, elongate nose, lengthen legs, etc.. That's easy right?
Please comment what you think, especially if you know anything about the technological side, I'm pretty clueless!
FYI...
Here's an article about a new virtual pet program coming out. I guess the technology for this one isn't all that new or exciting, but it was the first I really heard about anyone actually doing this....
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg19726495.700-virtual-pets-can-learn-just-like-babies.html
Pretty freaking amazing...and scary. When is Skynet supposed to take over and terminate us?
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