BY ALESSANDRA SZUL
Episode #13: We’ve come a long way from the Tamagotchi.
We’ll never forget the summer of 2005 when we ruined a family holiday in Venezuela by being inconsolable over the now-lifeless Tamagotchi mother “accidentally” put in the washing machine. Of course, our temper tantrum was totally justified — after all, we had just unlocked Mimitchi. 🤷♀
So, yeah, Virtual Companionship has come a long way since our childhood toys. Like, A LOT. Trust the grown-ups to make everything weird, huh?
And that’s sort of the theme this episode — check out some of these stories…
Did you hear that?
Some videos have been circulating online alongside reports that people are randomly hearing Alexa laugh. Except not her normal laugh — a strange cackle. Watch the video and get spooked for yourself.
Have you ever wanted to hang-out with yourself?
Remember Clippy? Ahh, the good old days. Edward Saatchi, the co-founder of Fable Labs, is taking the virtual assistant a step further and believes that “…OS of the future is a character”. Basically, Samantha from HER.
“The most expensive plant you’ll ever take care of…”
Seedling, developed by Insomniac Games, is Magic Leap’s first paid app where you are in charge of taking care of an alien-like plant that grows and adapts around your environment.
Grandma’s iCompanion
In 2013, AARP published a report on the projected decline of caregivers for the elderly. That’s where robots come in. 🤖 Yeah — you read that right. Meet Zora.
“When Zora arrived at this nursing facility an hour outside Paris, a strange thing began happening: Many patients developed an emotional attachment, treating it like a baby, holding and cooing, giving it kisses on the head. Zora, which can cost up to $18,000, offered companionship in a place where life can be lonely. Families can visit only so much, and staff members are stretched.” — NYTimes
AI + Blockchain + VR =…Girlfriend?
A different type of companion. NEO is building a dAPP of the “world’s first blockchain-based girlfriend.”
OK. Totally normal.
And it’ll only get weirder
It’s interesting that a lot of today’s so called innovation ([VR/AR] + companionship) is aimed towards adults rather than kids.
Not to say that there aren’t a bunch of virtual pets out there (Neopets, anyone?), but the industry is leaning towards real-world use cases solving real-world adult “problems”.
You know, like not having someone to ‘Netflix & Chill’ with. 🤡
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