Jennie is a robot dog designed to serve as an emotional support helper for seniors with dementia (and also marketed to help individuals, of all ages, coping with stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness). The robot, designed to replicate a Labrador puppy, is a collaboration between the company Tombot, which sells the product, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop.[1] While Tombot CEO Tom Stevens conceived the idea and he and his team supplied the robotic technology, they turned to the Creature Shop to help create a visually realistic and believable dog.[2]
Creature Shop personnel who worked on the project included creative supervisor Peter Brooke and animatronics supervisor John Criswell. The prototype was launched in 2017 and Jennie was finally shipped in 2022.
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External links[]
- Tombot official site product info on Jennie
- Dementiaconference.com - "Meet Jennie - The role of artificial intelligence in dementia care." July 20, 2022.