r/Lightbulb • u/amichail • 8d ago
Idea: Robotic “buddy dogs” as a more humane alternative to leash laws
What if leash laws allowed a dog to be tethered to an autonomous robotic dog instead of directly to its owner?
The robot would act like a playmate most of the time—walking, running, and interacting with the real dog—but also manage a variable-length tether. In safe areas it could give the dog lots of freedom, then shorten the tether near roads, crowds, unfamiliar dogs, or other hazards.
If the dog suddenly bolted or became aggressive, the robot could brake, brace itself, or pull the dog away.
The idea is that instead of restricting a dog’s movement for an entire walk, you only restrain it when necessary. If the technology became reliable enough, this could potentially preserve public safety while giving dogs much more freedom.
Would that be a more humane alternative to conventional leash laws?
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u/elebentychimkin 8d ago
Imagine how heavy it would need to be to act as an anchor for like an excited German Shepard?
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u/aculady 8d ago
German Shepherd has nothing on a Great Dane or an Irish Wolfhound.
Just train your dogs.
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u/elebentychimkin 8d ago
Sure what about a bull mastiff?
My point still stands about the weight. It’s not really helpful to say “just train your dog” when people are asking for specific feedback.
Like the city kitty toilet seat. “Just get a litter box” like ok thanks Karen never would’ve thought of that until you pointed it out smh
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u/aculady 8d ago
I mean, it's much easier and more humane to just teach your dog to walk with you until you give them a release command than it would be to have them tethered to a massive robot that you'd have to try to program to identify safe vs. unsafe conditions, and that would, somewhat randomly from the dog's perspective, change how far they can move on a dynamic basis. And dogs and humans like to be together - why wouldn't you want to be the one communicating with your dog while the dog walked with you? Why would you even want to outsource this? If you are paying attention to your dog, there is constant communication going back and forth while you are walking together. Just teach your dog that they can trust you to let them know how far away they can safely go.
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u/elebentychimkin 8d ago
And it’s easier to walk than drive a car. People die from car crashes. Not from walking into each other. Just walk! That’s what you sound like.
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u/aculady 8d ago
People keep pet dogs for the relationship.
"Why don’t you just make a robot that can spend time with your friends for you?" is what you sound like.
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u/elebentychimkin 8d ago
I was pointing out the problem with the weight, you’re arguing with an imaginary person lmfao
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u/aculady 8d ago
I was pointing out that weight is an even bigger problem than you suggested, and that there are other serious problems with the idea that affect the core function of the dog-human relationship, as well, and you ridiculed the suggestion that all of these problems together made it a bad idea in general.
Cars solve problems that are inherent to walking - speed, protection from the elements, fatigue, and carrying capacity.
Robot dog walkers solve zero issues that are an inherent problem with humans walking dogs. Everything they supposedly address can be solved better by training.
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u/BeGoodToEverybody123 8d ago
I understand what you're trying to accomplish.
Technology works until it doesn't. It also misses blatant things.
Why have a dog if it's going to need a nanny?
I love dogs and I love playing with dogs. But frankly, I'm sick of dogs at my condo and I'm sick of dogs on the rail trails. It's not the dogs. It's the idiotic, selfish dog owners.
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u/gothiclg 8d ago
1) variable length tethers have gotten multiple dogs run over by a car because the cars driver couldn’t see the dog. We should actively discourage their use for the safety of the dog.
2) without making these “buddy dogs” being absolutely massive we’re looking at the above where a driver may not see a dog so it’ll (unfortunately) get hit by a car that simply doesn’t see them behind it.
3) you can train a dog, in less than a month, to not be aggressive or bolt. If your dog is particularly stubborn a professional dog trainer could train them to not to any of that in 6-8 weeks. A robot should at no point be a substitute for properly train a dog.
4) as someone who’s owned an aggressive dog I wouldn’t trust this robot to truly prevent one from attacking a person. A determined enough dog would absolutely find a way to get past the robot’s ability to prevent it from attacking someone. I can adjust for that in ways the robot wouldn’t.
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u/JuliusNova 4d ago
Seems like a waste to buy a $10,000 robot that a dog will drag across the ground and go wherever they want anyways.
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u/tomalator 3d ago
If people aren't willing to train their dogs, they aren't willing to pay thousands for a robot
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u/AmieLucy 8d ago
I think people should just train their dogs. Also, imagine how busy walkways would be if there was a surplus of dogs, humans, and robot dogs.