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Cited by 0Human-Animal Interaction StudiesSocial Robot Interaction and HRIMusic Therapy and Health

The Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence-Based Pet Therapy in Improving the Care of Patients: A Systematic Review

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Trajbarič, Tamara, Muršec, Dominika, Svenšek, Adrijana, Štiglic, Gregor, Gosak, Lucija·2026·Applied Sciences
DOI 10.3390/app16104683
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Abstract

Animal-assisted interventions can support emotional well-being and social engagement, but their use may be limited by allergies, infection risks, and animal-handling requirements. As a scalable alternative, artificial intelligence-based pet therapy, including socially assistive and robotic pets, has been introduced in health care and community settings. This systematic review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, searched PubMed, CINAHL Ultimate/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and SAGE for studies published between 2014 and 2025 that evaluated the reported effects of AI-based pet therapy on patient outcomes. Of the 584 records identified, 27 studies met the inclusion criteria after duplicate removal and screening. Most studies involved older adults with dementia, although children, veterans, and community-dwelling adults were also represented. Across studies, AI-based pet therapy was associated with reduced agitation, anxiety, stress, and pain, as well as improved mood, communication, and social engagement. PARO was the most frequently studied robotic pet, and interventions were typically delivered 1–3 times weekly for 30–60 min over 4–12 weeks. Overall, AI-based pet therapy appears to be a promising complementary non-pharmacological approach, particularly for people with dementia and hospitalized children, although stronger evidence from larger, more standardized, and longer-term studies is still needed.

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Spattini, 2018, Efficacy of animal assisted therapy on people with mental disorders: An update on the evidence, Minerva Psichiatr., 59, 54
  2. Himanshu, K., Gunjan, K., Mukherjee, R., Pandey, R.P., and Chang, C.M. (2023). A systematic analysis of the qualitative and quantitative evidence on the purpose of animal-assisted therapy in improving patients wellbeing. bioRxiv. · DOI
  3. Wang, 2021, A survey of the development of biomimetic intelligence and robotics, Biomim. Intell. Robot., 1, 100001
  4. Trajbarič, T., Muršec, D., Svenšek, A., Štiglic, G., and Gosak, L. (2026). The Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence-Based Pet Therapy in Improving the Care of Patients: A Systematic Review, Open Science Framework.
  5. Davagnino, 2023, Usability and Acceptability of Social Robot Pets Among Community-Dwelling Veterans Living with Dementia and Their Caregivers, Am. J. Alzheimers Dis. Other Demen., 38, 1

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Related

Authors
Trajbarič, T., Muršec, D., Svenšek, A., Štiglic, G., & Gosak, L.
Affiliations
University of Maribor (SI)
Corresponding author
Trajbarič, Tamara
ORCID
Venue
Applied Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2026-05-09
Volume
16
Issue
10
Pages
4683
ISSN
2076-3417 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/app16104683
OpenAlex
W7161047848
Semantic Scholar
1971772715ef55e0ed7cb47825916f4b1a4e41c1
Cited by
0
References
51
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Applied Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Open Science Framework
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Music Therapy and Health
Keywords
pet robots, socially assistive robots, animal-assisted interventions, dementia, agitation, anxiety, stress, pain, mood, social engagement, communication, hospitalized children, non-pharmacological treatment, Paros

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