In mid-2010, Japanese engineers shipped our future caregivers into the country through the same customs office that clears electric wheelchairs for distribution in the United States – only this caregiver was a plush, baby seal.

Paro, the robotic, baby seal, was designed by the best and brightest engineers to simulate interaction between patients and caregivers. It’s meant for use in nursing homes as an alternative for the traditional, old-fashioned and time-consuming practice of physical interactions between human beings.

With one of these robo-pups costing about $ 6,000, some who don’t see the tremendous value in owning a stuffed animal that moves and “coos” might think the price is steep. They are overlooking the obvious perk, which is the hours of unfaltering, synthetic love Paro offers without complicating the situation with his own calendar to keep, kids to raise or Glee episodes to catch up on.

Kleenex tissues and visits from children will be a fashion sported by last year’s nursing home residents. The resident of tomorrow will bury their sorrows in the plush, artificial, hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial fur of a baby robot-seal.

And, maybe, considering our technological upbringing, we should have seen this coming.

We grew up alongside technology. We nursed our Nano Pets through elementary school. Upon graduation to middle school we somehow convinced our parents that we would become more responsible if they purchased a ridiculous, squawking Ferbie. We hit high school with our artillery of cell phones causing teachers to set aside their note-intercepting skills and develop a texting radar that would make the Navy drool. And now, at ACU we are up to our ears in mobile learning.

By the time we hit nursing homes, if such a thing still exists, society won’t need us anymore, our kids will be gallivanting around with computer chips in their heads and the technology we nurtured  in elementary school will be the only thing caring for us.

FaceTime, Skype and robotic seals might be increasing in popularity, but no matter how advanced technology gets, nothing will fully replace the comfort that comes from direct human interactions.