Why I want a robot nanny

Someday, our babysitters will be robots. Maybe that's a good thing.

Can a robot replace a parent?
(Image credit: OJO Images Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo Location)

I'm a tech-phobic parent — not exactly the sort of person who gets excited about the idea of letting a machine watch my children. But when I heard about the newly developed iPal — a doe-eyed, 3-foot-tall robot companion — I couldn't help but see the potential advantages to struggling parents of young kids. So many of us are crippled by the costs of childcare, sleep deprived and, frankly, bored. (You try coming up with 37 different scenarios for "The Wheels on the Bus" before breakfast...)

Is it really so crazy to think you could go on Amazon and pick up a pint-sized android, complete with surveillance cam, to keep your kids amused, inspired, and safe for a few hours every day? No one is suggesting that we hand squishy newborns over to cooing robo-nannies and walk out the door whistling — at least not yet. iPal is designed exclusively for the three-plus set and it's a glorified toy rather than a robot sitter. You shouldn't actually leave a child — of any age — in its care.

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Ruth Margolis
Ruth ​Margolis is a British ​journalist living in the U.S. Her work has appeared in ​The Guardian, ​The ​Daily Telegraph and BBCAmerica.com.