IntheFuture,RobopetsWontBeFar-Fetched.docVIP

In the Future, Robopets Wont Be Far-Fetched 未来宠物The advent of smartphones, social media and other technologies have altered the way people interact with each other. Just watch a group of people out for a meal together, all on their phones texting people who aren’t there. 智能手机的出现、社交媒体以及其他科技改变了人们相互交流的方式。只需看一群在外的状态——都拿着手机给不在场的人发着消息。 Technology may also be poised to change the way we relate to animals—by removing the living, breathing ones from our homes. The main threat to pets is not social media, per se, but rather robots and virtual FarmVille-like animals. 科技可能也将改变我们与动物的相处方式——将活生生的、会呼吸的宠物移出我们的家门。对于宠物主要的威胁不是社交媒体本身，而是机器人虚拟的类似于“开心农场”那样的动物。 These inanimate objects of our affection are certainly easier to care for than are the real ones. And they still might someday meet their owners’ needs for companionship, love, obedience and dependence. That’s according to University of Melbourne animal behavior researcher Jean-Loup Rault, writing in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 很显然关爱这些无生命的物体比关爱真正的动物要容易得多。而且很可能在未来的某一天，它们还能满足主人对陪伴、关爱、服从和依赖的需要。墨尔本大学的动物行为研究员珍·洛普·罗特，在《兽医科学前沿》杂志上发表的一篇文章为此提供了科学依据。 The infiltration of fake pets is already happening to a small degree. In Japan, some owners of Sony’s AIBO robotic dog even hold funerals when these devices are beyond repair. 在某种很小的程度上，虚拟宠物已经渗透到人们生活中。在日本，一些索尼“爱宝机器狗”的主人甚至会在设备无法修复时为爱宠举行葬礼。 Our concept of a pet gets shaped at an early age. Previous generations born and bred with dogs and cats might dismiss robopets as mere toys. But children of the digital age, raised on touchscreens and online games, might see things differently. One can imagine a future fake-dog owner breathlessly asking his vet technician: is Fido dead, or is it just his battery? 人类对于宠物的概念在幼年时期就形成了。前几代由真实的宠物狗和宠物猫陪伴着长大的人，可能会把虚拟宠物仅仅当玩具一样丢掉。但出生于数字时代、由触摸屏和在线游戏陪伴着长大的孩子，看待事物的眼光可能会有所不同。可以想象一下，未来某个虚拟宠物狗的主人屏息凝神地询问他的兽医技术员：是我的狗狗死了，还是只是的电池没电了? The advent of smartphones, social media and other technologies have altered the way people interact with each other. Just watch a gro