They say a dog is a man's best friend, but for many people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, the demands of caring for a dog or pet can be a challenge.

But 'Jeanie,' a lifelike robotic puppy from Tombot, which has been wowing crowds at CES 2025, is designed to change all that, by providing companionship and unconditional love for those who are unable to look after a real animal on their own.

'Jeanie" is a life-like robotic yellow Labrador puppy that responds to touch and voice commands and even wags its tail.

It is the brainchild of Tom Stevens, a Californian entrepreneur who came up with concept for the robot dog after his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011 and he had to take away her dog. He hopes the technology will revolutionize how the elderly and those suffering from dementia will be cared for in the future.

"Inspired by my mother, who after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia, I had to take away her dog for safety reasons. And she was very unhappy with me," said Stevens, the CEO and co-founder of Tombot.

"I looked around for substitutes for live animal companions. She didn't like anything that I brought home. And it was at that time I realized there was a very large gap in the market."

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Stevens explained that there are over 300 million seniors globally who suffer from dementia or mild cognitive impairment and are unable to care for live animals. This prompted Tombot to create Jeanie—a robotic companion designed to alleviate behavioral and psychological symptoms such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

Tombot's technology also offers continuous new behaviors, preventing users from experiencing repetitive interactions with the robotic puppy.

Tombot plans to start fulfilling orders for Jeanie later in 2025. The product will be available for direct purchase by consumers at a one-time price of $1,500 or via rental models for institutions such as assisted living facilities.

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(Production: Liliana Salgado, Omar Younis)