Luna: Do we really need a dog-walking robot?

The video: For months, rumors have circulated in the tech world about a humanoid robot — possibly from Apple or Google — featured in a mysterious leaked video. Now, the robot, Luna, has been officially released, and the mystery is solved. Luna is made by a company called SchultzeWorks, for California-based RoboDynamics. Luna, 5'2" tall with a touchscreen face, is a $3,000 "personal robot designed for people to use at home," say Evan Ackerman and Enrico Guizzo at IEEE Spectrum. (See a video below.) Luna's adjustable arms could allow it to "carry a tray like a waiter," says Tim Hornyak at CNET — or potentially even walk a dog.

The reaction: Luna "is one good looking bot," says Aaron Saenz at Singularity Hub. Yes, yes, we can all agree "that Luna is an attractive piece of machinery," says Jan at The Poodle (and Dog) Blog. But "it seems to lack some of the qualities we would look for in a good dog walker" — for example, "hands and fingers." Even if it could walk your dog, "would your pooch obey Luna?" asks Edwin Kee at Ubergizmo. And "what if it pees on Luna?" Watch a video of this purported dog-walking machine:

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