Electronic pets for the elderly 'will combat loneliness'

The elderly and alone may soon find solace in an ‘electronic pet’ capable of holding conversations and telling jokes, scientists have suggested.

The Companion – which has been dubbed ‘the older person’s Tamagotchi’ after the popular Japanese toy – will understand what it has been told, and will respond with appropriate information or questions.

British scientists working on the project hope that it will provide companionship for the millions of older people who live alone, as well as reminding them to take medicine and conducting basic health checks.

The device, which has no moving parts and will resemble a cuddly toy, uses the latest language-processing technologies to recognise the meaning of what has been said, researchers at the University of Sheffield said.

It will then respond - in an accent of the owner’s choosing – by drawing on relevant material from previous conversations.

"The Companion will be able to chat to you, tell jokes, even help you decide what TV programs to watch," Yorick Wilks, the project leader and professor of computer science at the university, said.